


Primal Attraction

by No1Real



Category: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Night Howlers, Romance, Savage Judy Hopps, Savage Nick Wilde
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 66,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1Real/pseuds/No1Real
Summary: Dawn Bellweather thought that turning Nick Wilde savage in the pit would leave no one who would be aware of the truth. A brave act by Judy ends up backfiring and leaves both her and Nick as savages. Bellweather thought that she would see predator chase prey, and prey run from predator, or for the two savages to fight, but either way, blood would be spilt and she could use this as further her plans for the prey nation. What she didn’t know was that attractions that are hidden even from each other, for each other would change everything.
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 43
Kudos: 163





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will average about 2k words (not including any author’s/end notes.) with the exception of the prologue and the ones with explicit content.
> 
> This story is originally from Fanfiction.net. The same username, and was at chapter 26 when I added the story to this website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had a bunch of ideas that won’t leave my head, and I’ve read stories like Broken Mask by Kulkum, A Bunny CAN Go Savage by Fox in the hen house, and The Pit by DodgertheJollyRodger all of which I recommend. I am doing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours but mainly mine. And other than initial setup I really don’t know how I want this to go. Mammals are the only anthopomorphic animals, the exception being Primates, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Marine animals are not evolved and are used as food and pets.

“-Off the tail, off off off”

Judy couldn’t be any happier. He forgave her. He forgave her after everything that she did and caused. Aside from a little teasing, it didn’t take much more than a heartfelt and tearful apology.

Ears dropped behind her to hide the burning blush, Judy continued to hold him in a hug as she shuffled her hindpaws off his (amazingly soft and fluffy) tail. She didn’t dare let go as if this wasn’t real, that as soon as she lets go she would be in her room back in Bunnyburrow miles away and not in the arms of the male who supported her when no one else did, not the other officers who thought that she was just a publicity stunt, and not her parents who worried too much. But it was real, she with the one who made her laugh even when whatever it was that he said wasn’t even all that funny, the one that made the most mundane things exciting. Judy knew that she was infatuated with him the moment he had looked at her with the most pained look in his eyes at that conference and left her with a empty hole in her soul as she saw his slouched back and dragging tail disappear from view.

These past months at home seemed to get bleaker everyday as she thought about him more and more.

Her appetite diminished, things reminded her of him as she spent more and more time away from him. The blueberries that they grow would make her think ‘Nick would of loved to see this’. When she heard songs that she remembered singing along together while in that stupid clown car would send her retreating within herself to relive those moments, even if for just a moment. Which was often considering that her Dad and several of her siblings liked some of the same songs which wasn’t surprising as he told her “I can pretty much like any song from any genre, after all good music is good music.”

Nick was in a similar boat. His tail now free from being pinned now wagged side to side in a lazy manner. He felt happier now than he has these past few months. When Judy had said those things at the press conference, he didn’t know why he had been hurt so much, at least until some time later when he couldn’t decide to hate her or miss her, but either way she never left his thoughts. It was obvious that he had fallen for Judy, but he also didn’t want it to be true. Nick reasoned with himself that it was just him missing a friend rather that him being heartbroken. It had taken Finnick calling him out on it for him to finally accept that he, a street fox who had been a model of what all mammals thought of foxes, had fallen for an earnest country bunny who still had an overwhelmingly positive outlook on life. Nick lost all motivation, he didn’t pull his scams and hustles after that day and Finn had been annoyed that he couldn’t make money because all of them involved both of them playing the Father/Son role to gain sympathy. Finn had the small size and ability to be so disarmingly adorable (not that anyone would say that in hearing range of the little fennec), and Nick had the charisma and charm to sell it. Finnick couldn’t hustle on his own because when he spoke, most mammals would be scared off by the scarily deep baritone voice.

Nick and Judy had been hugging for only a second but it was enough to get both of their hearts beating harder than ever, their heads clouded with the scent of each other, not noticing the other taking deep breaths, committing the scent to memory. When they finally let go (only 3 or 4 seconds), it was reluctantly and not enough for either one of them.

And then Judy heard the voice that plagued her thoughts and dreams “So where to next Fluff?” It was said with such tenderness that had her teardrop of a tail flicking quickly, not that he could see.

…

The following adventure was the stuff off legends. Threatening Duke with Big’s help, locating the lab that makes the Night Howler serum, a goddamn train chase, destruction of said train with the only surviving evidence in a briefcase, Dawn Bellweather approaching them in the museum and them being thrown into a pit.

Which leads the dynamic duo to this moment in time

“What are you going to do? Kill us?”

“Oh I’m not… He is.”

Time slowed for Judy as she saw the air gun pointing at Nick.She had to do something, she had just gotten Nick back in her life and he was about to be taken from her once more.

Despite the pain in her leg screaming for her to stop, she launched herself at Nick. With all her available strength she tackled Nick, pushing him out of the way of the small blue projectile and putting herself in the path of the poison. The pain of something hitting her neck told her that she had been hit.

Judy collapsed as her small body had taken all the punishment that she could take. She hadn’t had a proper meal for the past two weeks, only snacking on small things here and there, combined with the fighting, her injury and that her adrenaline had worn off leaving her fatigued and unable to put up much resistance to the Night Howler serum.

Nick’s world had shattered. As he tumbled off to the side he heard her squeak in pain and a thud as she hit the floor. Nick scrambled to his hind paws, dropping the little carrot pen that went unnoticed and was still recording, and rushed to her forgetting that this was not a tranq. So focused on Judy that he forgot about the three ovine above him, the smallest of which was dialing on a phone.

“The dumb little bunny just doesn’t know when to quit, the serum is wasted on her.” The demented ewe sighed and shook her head, her poof of wool jiggling with the movement, as she put away her cell done with what she wanted to do. She takes aim once again “Oh well, she’ll be dead anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

Nick didn’t hear what she said or that she spoke at all, but what caused him to turn was a sense of dread, one so cold it caused a shiver and his fur to puff out, his instinct yelling at him to take in his surroundings and to look up, just in time to see Dawn take aim and fire.

Nick felt his consciousness fading and it was fading fast. He looked up to see the ZPD Chief Idris Bogo walking behind the unsuspecting ewe and rams.

“Mayor Dawn Bell… under… right to re…” the voice kept cutting in and out as Nick tried in vain to resist the toxins in his system. Vision blurring, he sees that he has the attention of a couple of officers, and points at the pen with increasing difficulty and says “Recorded.. everything.”

Nick collapses and closed his eyes as he lost the battle with himself.

Judy’s eyes fluttered open revealing dilated pupils which take in the sights and smells that are around her. Her ears twitch as she hears the bleats of ovine, the groans of bovine, the chuffs of felines, and the various sounds of other animals. She looks up to the sounds and sees mammals that are many times her size in a commotion, some looking down at her.

Ears snapping to attention and nose twitching as she catches the sound of a canines whine much closer than any other sound. Eyes flicking to a movement to the left, catching the color red and black, her ears fold back as she recognizes the form of her natural predator (not that other carnivores never preyed on rabbits, but foxes were the most feared). And then the form moved, slowly and clearly dazed, to all fours. Judy tried to run and hide but her leg protested and she squealed loudly in pain.

Nick was dizzy, head had a splitting headache and his eyes open to show his own dilated pupils, he whines in pain as his head throbs.

Nick tried to get up, slowly and carefully. He is almost up as triangular ears catch the the squeal of an animal in pain, his head snaps to his right, a mistake that makes his headache flare, and he spots a rabbit with a wounded leg trying to scramble away.

Nick slowly moves closer, body close to the ground as he starts his stalk. Judy tried to scramble away with a renewed sense of fear.

Then everything stops, noses twitching in unison.

Nick doesn’t smell prey

Judy doesn’t smell predator

All they smell is their Mate


	2. Savage Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit content

Nick’s nose was telling him that this was a bunny, who would traditionally be food. His nose was also telling him that there was his scent on this particular bunny, but not the one that would be from casual contact, no this one was the scent from the glands the are on his neck and the underside of his muzzle. The same glands that are used to mark family and Mates, although the scent wasn’t all that strong.

He must’ve not renewed it in awhile, that was very upsetting, what kind of Mate was he that he let his mark fade that much? How else would others know that she is taken?

His nose picked up something much more upsetting, blood. The scent that had a metallic tone was coming from his mate, that made him whine pitifully.

Forget the mark, what kind of Mate doesn’t protect his own? With tail between his legs and ears flat against his head, he hurried to her.

Judy chirrs as she finally recognizes the Fox with her as the one who will protect her, after all why else would he have her scent on him, and vise versa. His scent was lingering around her from her head to her torso, and was telling of their prolonged contact.

She sees the concern in his eyes and his body language so clearly, that there is no question. She also sees that he is hurrying to her aide like a good Mate should. It doesn’t matter now that she is hurt, knowing now she is safe and sound.

He is now next to her inspecting her wound with the most feather light touches, she shivers as he cleans the cut of any debris and excess blood. Judy relaxes as he renews his mark on her, claiming her as his. She should do the same, she doesn’t want other female to get any ideas.

Nick is standing over her, protecting her with his body, and is now looking for a way too retreat to a place where they can rest and heal. Nick now notices his aching ribs and shoulder, most likely bruised, but at least his headache is gone although still a bit cloudy. Eyes studying his surroundings, he sees larger animals watching them.

He doesn’t like that at all.

Nick then notices something new, an opening behind the bushes. He pushes his head underneath his Mate and places her on his back, whining as it puts pressure on his side. He ignores his pain and runs to the opening, it’s really slim and tall, black markings going straight across. It’s not wide enough.

He noses it to investigate it and is pleasantly surprised as it is pushed a little with a bit of force. It opens wide enough to get both of them through.

Then he runs.

Bogo groans in annoyance as they leave his sight and off to the unknown. “Wolford and Grizzoli, try and follow their scent. Fangmeyer, McHorn, and Delgado take these disgraces to the precinct. Higgins grab the airgun and that little carrot down there. DO NOT forget to empty the airgun, we don’t need that thing to go off on accident. All other officers surround the building to try and catch them before they get out into the public.”

They didn’t waste a second and got on with their assigned tasks

“Chief! There’s nothing in the airgun.”

Bogo grunted in annoyance. _Just great._

_…_

Judy tried her best not to interfere with her mate as he ran. She didn’t remember this place so it must not be their warren, so now she assumed that is where they are going now. Up the spiral hill led them to a wide cave, a weird cave that had lighted spots throughout. The big opening nearby was surrounded so Nick ran the other way deeper into the cave in a different branch. They reach another opening with a fire at one end, so they go the other way. Nick and Judy scan the area with urgency, the heavy paw steps getting closer.

Judy squeaks leaning her body weight in the direction of an exit hole with daylight shining through. Nick yips in joy as he now has a way to get his Mate to safety. Nick’s adrenaline now is at an all time high, all to give him the needed energy to escape, he now is at top speed, vision blurring around the edges as he shoot out to surface and now into a packed path with many, many animals in all directions.

Screams are ignored by the two savages (even if they hurt Judy’s sensitive ears), But they are not ignored by the ZPD.

There is a small path that is empty and Nick does not hesitate. Half way through and a yellow feline with black spots skids around the corner in front of them. Nick doesn’t even need to turn to know there are others behind him. He spots a hole in the wall to his left just big enough for the two of them to squeeze through, but too small for their pursuers, and he is off again this time with no animals following.

He doesn’t stop until he reaches a forest, or at least it looks like a forest, it’s a lot bigger and more humid than any forest that he would recognize as a forest but he does have a sense of familiarity to him. Judging by the fact that his mate is relaxing more, he would say it’s familiar to her too. Maybe their den is nearby.

But.. he doesn’t remember their den.

Where is their den?

He whines again in agitation.

Judy is tired of hearing that sound from her Mate. She watches him as he stops and sniff the air and the ground around him looking for something. She wants to rest and calm down in their warren, then she realized why her Mate is distressed. Where is their warren? Where is their sanctuary? The only place where no one else is allowed? She also whines.

Nick’s soul hurts as he hears this.

If they can’t find their old one, then they have to make a new one.

He finds a suitable spot by a large tree on a slight hill surrounded with vegetation and had a water source was nearby in the form of a stream that he say fish swimming by.

He carries his Mate there and gingerly slips her off and begins to dig.

And dig.

And dig until there is a space large enough to comfortably fit both of them. Three entrances angled to prevent water from flooding the den and spaced apart to allow multiple escape routes if need be, and each are hidden by one thing or another to lessen the chance of being discovered. Only thing left is to find bedding, which is already available because he is wrapped in a soft warm… _thing_ on his torso and a tougher _thing_ on his hind legs. His Mate was also wrapped in things. So he tore it off of them an shredded them to fit his needs, and when all is said and done, he presents the new den to his Mate. Her approval was needed after all.

Judy limps inside and is greeted with their combined scents. The wrappings that covered them were drenched in their scents, so when shredded into bedding, it made the warren more familiar and inviting. It was perfect.

Judy was tired. And the bedding that smelled of her fox was alluring. She snuggled deep into their nest and closed her eyes for some much needed rest.

Nick lay next to her, wrapping his tail around her, eyes heavy and slowly closing.

When he wakes, he sees his bunny licking her wound. He nudges his head to her, taking over in cleaning the cut and lets Judy rest more. When he is done, he gets up and reluctantly peeks out. His vision unobstructed, but he is still hidden from view, he has to leave in order to find food for his Mate and then himself. It was morning, the scent of fresh rain was encouraging as it most likely washed away their scent trail.

No one could find them now.

The stream is where he’ll go. Food and water is guaranteed, and most importantly, it was nearby.

When Judy wakes up, she is restless. She didn’t know where her Mate was. The only thing keeping her calm is the scent of fox that is in the air and the heat from the bedding suggesting that he was here recently.

She wasn’t tired enough to go back to sleep, but there wasn’t anything that she could do to pass the time.

She’s grooms herself, she rearranged the bedding, and she tried to stretch her leg. But eventually there was nothing else for her to do after awhile. So she just has to wait.

…

…

…

He has been gone for awhile now, where is he?

…

Her ears flick up as she hears paws nearing the warren… Then she smells him… And now she sees him.

Nick is greeted by the sight and sound of his mate chirring and her tail flicking in happiness as he brings food to her.

Being an omnivore, he knew what he brought to her was safe to was eat because he tried it before even bringing it near the den. He could tell it was a fruit, and he had grabbed it from a branch that was overgrown and hanging low enough for him to grab a couple. He had two in his mouth and was nudging one on the ground with his muzzle for a total of three.

She appreciated this greatly as she realized the extent of her hunger. Why was she so hungry? Seeing that she didn’t need to let the fox know that she was hungry for him to provide, Judy concluded it was not that he was negligent in his role as a Mate.

So was it something else? Whatever the reason, it wasn’t important. She needed to eat and gather her strength to recover.

…

Days pass and Nick is attentive to her needs, cleaning her leg, bringing her food, taking her to the stream to drink water while he stood guard ready to defend his mate from anything. And now Judy is now able to move without limping for a short period, but not healed enough for her to run.

Currently, Judy is dozing while Nick grooms her. The rhythmic timing of was relaxing and very enjoyable. Nick adores her every moment he can, because he shudders to think about what could’ve happened if they had been caught. Spending all this time together cause their scent to mingle into one scent, indistinguishable from one another. Of course that is something that Nick approves of, that is how it should be. There should be no questions that they are Mates.

Except… They hadn’t Mated…

He hasn’t claimed her properly. That needs to change.

He stops grooming her, much to her disapproval, and pokes his head out to check the surrounding area of the den. After all, this is private, for him and no one else. He sees nothing out of the ordinary, he focuses his hearing, straining his ears to catch anything.

Nothing.

He then renters the den, looks at his mate, and then growls low and slow. His eyes focused and his ears standing tall, focusing on his Mate.

The red tip of his member extends from his sheathe. He struts over to the bunny, who now is wide awake, he releases his scent trying to entice his Mate.

He needs her permission after all. The female (usually a vixen, but not in his case as he is Mated to a Rabbit doe) always has final say. That was how it works, the todd shows interest in a vixen (doe), and chases off competition. But the vixen (doe) chooses the one the she will mate with

Judy is in a state of semi-consciousness as her Mate grooms her. She is at ease with his teeth so close to her neck, she has complete trust in him after all. When he stops she whines her objection, she looks over her shoulder to see him stick his head out.

Did he notice something outside? Admittedly she wasn’t paying attention, but apparently he had. Such a diligent Mate, making sure to keep her safe.

Judy settles back down but didn’t have an opportunity to relax as she hears him growl. The soft sound sent shivers down her spine and to her tail. And then the smell, so intoxicating and powerful it made her head spin.

She looked back over to her Mate. And her heart beats so loud that she wouldn’t be surprised that he could hear it.

Tail puffed to display how well taken care of it was and to show off the silkiness and healthy coloration of his coat. Walking to her on an angled path to showcase his attraction to her. Her body heats up and her scent seems to explode in the confined space to broadcast her approval of his exhibition. Bucks (or todd in her case) that want to Mate will chase does and try to pin them down.

But not her todd, he’s giving her a choice. Isn’t he a good Mate?

He’s asking for a decision that she doesn’t need to think about to know the answer. She turns to face away, rump up and tail fluttering to fan the scent of her growing arousal to him, waiting for him to mount her.

Judy’s body is entering an induced heat cycle to give the best chance at conceiving kits, and Nick could smell her increased fertility.

Nick doesn’t need any further invitation as he climbs over her, his front paws hooking around her hips, pressing her cotton ball of a tail into his pelvis. The twitching appendage brushing against his belly fur arouses him in a way he never expected it to.

He lines himself up with her opening and takes careful aim.

Judy wiggles her hips and tail in anticipation. She noticed the spike in his scent when her tail brushed against him, and made sure to continue. She squealed as she felt contact with a meltingly hot mass. He started to groom her and draw in her sweet earthy scent. He licks from the base of the long appendage to the tip, switching ears every so often causing her to let out a shuddering breath.

All leading to one moment.

He pushes in with a loud cry that is unique to Mating. Judy squeals in slight pain. She did not expect her Mate to be so well endowed (compared to Rabbit bucks), not that she was complaining or anything.

She just need to adjust, that’s all.

Fortunately, Nick also needed to stop for a moment. Actually it was longer than a moment. He was twice her size and three times her weight, so the size difference of their.. _equipment_ was considerably noticeable. He was grateful that his tool was tapered and that it help with entry, but what didn’t help with was the sheer tightness that was his Mate. He kept still, panting heavily, and she was trying to regain her vision after seeing stars. When she was just about done adjusting, he moved, and the stars returned to her vision.

Nick started off slow and shallow, not moving too much or too hard. But a todd could only hold back so much. When the Bunny underneath him started to push back into him, his control shattered. His hips which started off in a snail’s pace eventually progress to a blur, and grew strong enough so that now every time he is at the apex of each thrust, it forces her body slightly off the ground.

Judy is having trouble breathing properly. Each pump of his hips seems to force air out of her lungs in the form of moans and squeals. Her vision pulsing to the rhythm he set, the large intrusion reaching places that no buck ever will.

Yes, her Mate is the greatest.

His hind claws are anchored into the ground, they dig small trenches as he tries to stop himself sliding away with every thrust. The grooming changes from licking her ears to nibbling the base of her neck, and judging by the closing of her eyes and her tongue hanging out of her mouth, the change is welcomed.

Judy tried to relax to be more accepting of her Mate, the strain is lessening and she closes her eyes to focus on the pleasure her Mate gives. Her vision now almost just bright white and there is tension growing inside the pit of her stomach.

There is nothing but the smell of his musk. The feeling of the soft downy cream colored belly fur. The sounds of growls, yips, and whines that emerge from his muzzle tell her that he is thoroughly enjoying this.

The grippy pink flesh tried it’s best to stop him from pulling away, to keep him as deep as he can get. But the slick film of sexual fluids did its job of lubricating her.

Nick’s entire world consists of his Mate. Listening to the chirrs that she releases, the smell of her heat, the wonderful silky warmth around his foxhood, and the taste of her that seems to be laced with ambrosia. He stops the nibbling to grab her with his jaws for a Mating hold when he feels the vice grip of his Mate that almost stops his movement completely.

The grip she has on him turns fire hot and her moist entrance now leaking with excess arousal. It’s almost enough to trigger his own release, if not for one thing.

For his release, he needs to knot her.

Which the vice is unlikely to accept, still he tries anyway. And he now hammers with strength renewed. He now needs to readjust his paws and he now is carrying her.

Her shoulders and head rest on the ground and her hind legs dangling, she feels the knot batter her and hears his whines pleading for entry.

Entry that Judy is eager to grant.

She is in nirvana. But her loving Mate has yet to join her. Looking over her shoulder to look at him, she sees his eyes pinched shut and feels his breath on her neck become labored. His movements are now frantic and more powerful than before.

She now tries to give him the same release that he gave her. She tries to force her body to relax and unwind, which is a feat that is incredibly difficult to accomplish, and pushes back into him. She feels herself spreading more and more as she tries to accommodate him. She knew she succeeded she feels herself get spread impossibly wide then snap back shut. A liquid heat shoots into her and the added length now pushes him to a new place, one that makes her see stars.

Nick cries are louder than anything he produced before when he feels the knot being accepted and his release now flooding into his Mate.

The added length his knot provided pushes him to the end of her tunnel which is best place for him to leave his seed and with the knot doing it’s job, it has no where to go but into her hungry womb.

Fox and Bunny alike are frozen in time. Neither moving and no sounds being made as they let our breathless screams. His pulsing is releasing more and more seed as it will for the next twenty or so minutes, and only then will the knot will deflate, allowing the two to separate.

The sheer volume he is letting out is causing Judy to grow a paunch. Nick guides Judy to lay on her side, tucked close to him, and covers her with his tail. That long, bushy, and warm tail that promises comfort and security.

This is bliss.

Judy’s ears flick up and Nick’s nose twitches.

The rustle of plants catches her attention, the scent of another canine catches his.

And then more sounds and scents join it.


	3. Of Toxic Reporters and Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don’t expect this to be updated like this regularly, or maybe it will, I don’t know.
> 
> The movie never reveals Bogo’s first name, so I just made his name the name of the voice actor. I’ll do that to some characters.
> 
> Thanks to AndyH for his help.
> 
> Explicit content

A splitting headache was the least of the problems that cursed the ZPD Chief of Police.

The flashing lights and a crowd of reporters didn’t help.

Idris Bogo was currently on the front steps of Precinct One, and in front of him was a horde of reporters and news cameras.

“Chief Bogo is it true that former Officer Judy Hopps has been killed by a savage Fox?” One Giraffe cow spoke into a microphone that was attached to a boom pole to compensate for her height

A flurry of questions blended the words together, drowning each other.

Idris motions for everyone to quiet down “No, Miss Hopps was not harmed. The Fox in question has shown no hostility towards her.”

A Whitetail buck speaks out “If Miss Hopps was not harmed by the Fox, why was her blood found in and around the museum?”

“Hopps was attacked by former Mayor Bellweather and a her accomplices. Most of whom were at or nearby the museum, and the others have already been arrested and are awaiting trial.”

“If Miss Hopps was not, and will not be harmed, why was she being taken by the Fox?” A Ferret jill calls out

“We don’t know why or where she was taken, but right now finding both Miss Hopps and this Fox are the ZPDs top priority right now. No more questions. We don’t have anymore time, as we need to get back to task on hand” the room erupts into unintelligible chatter, desperate to have their questions answered.

Idris moves off the platform and walks back into Precinct One.

“Clawhauser! Call all available Officers on site to the bull pen.” The aura that the Buffalo emits demands obedience.

That happened four days ago. And it has been six days since the museum fiasco.

Since then officers in and around city center were looking for the two most famous mammals in Zootopia. Rainforest District, Savannah Central, the Meadowlands, Deerbrooke all have officers patrols searching. These districts were chosen through the process of elimination. Sahara Square is too hot for either Foxes or Rabbits, Tundra Town is too cold, Nocturnal Ranges and Marshlands were inaccessible by land, and the Tri-Burrows or anything else are too far.

The newest lead was a report of poaching in a reservation park in Rainforest District. The local Rangers reported fish remains and bird carcasses localized within a square mile.

Coincidentally Red Foxes of old had territory ranges of one to three miles. A search party was organized from the resident Precinct Three and a couple of Canine and Ursine as well as some other experienced officers from Precinct One are on their way to begin the search.

…

Teams were divided and arranged so that each search group has a tracker that is familiar with Judy’s scent, or at least one that can recognize vulpine and/or lagomorph scent.

Joseph Wolford ran point with Micheal Higgins, a Hippo from Precinct One like himself, and a Jaguar Park Ranger flanking both sides.

The Timber Wolf had guilt weighing on his conscious, if she had the lead, why hadn’t she come forward and allowed the ZPD to take care of this?

The answer is simple. They didn’t give her a reason to trust them.

The moment she had walked through the front doors of Precinct One, she was treated like a joke, an annoyance, a publicity stunt pulled by Mayor Lionheart for the upcoming election, that was rescheduled, to secure the votes of small mammals (Rabbits primarily as their population was ridiculously large). However, after arresting Lionheart, her coworkers started to become interested in her.

Questions were asked, answers were given, and the curtains were lifted. Her Valedictorian status was not granted like they had thought.

It was **earned**.

While she wasn’t the fastest or the strongest mammal, Judy Hopps held the record for quickest enormous criminal takedown, had record time for the climate courses, and had highest test scores since Bogo himself.

And the mammal that Judy goes to first with the lead is a civilian.

Some feel slighted, as if she said that they weren’t competent enough.

Others felt like it was a wake up call for them. It revealed that they were blind to their own prejudice while they called themselves fair and just.

Either way, Judy and that Fox needed to be found. While the todd showed no active aggression, he was still savage. What he intends to do or already did to Judy cannot be predicted.

Hopefully she is still ok. Joseph wanted to apologize to Judy. While she was still a meter maid, Judy had tried to be as friendly as she could be to her “fellow” officers (not as if they returned the favor). Judy had even tried to start a conversation with him once and he brushed her off not even a minute in. His thoughts are interrupted as his nose starts to twitch

His nose detected her scent.

Hers and the Fox’s.

It smelled li-

Oh…

OHH.. umm.. what is he supposed to do?

He looks over to the Ranger, and noticed that he froze as well, while Micheal was looking between them.

The Hippo easily picks up their change in demeanor immediately “Found them?”

“That’s definitely Hopps’ scent.”

Micheal relays the information to the others “All officers be advised, Hopps’ scent located in section 14, northwest of the Clayton Bridge.”

Snapping out of their shared daze, both trackers take deep breaths. Drawing in and analyzes all smells, both old and new. They lead the way.

The den is located.

Officers and Rangers converge around Nick and Judy.

No mistaking who it was and where they are.

They search for the openings to make sure that they cannot get away this time, and they find three.

The Zootopia Ranger Core are a police division whose jurisdiction covers parks, reservations, sanctuaries etc.. They specialize in Search and Rescue missions, tracking poachers, and data collection of the local flora and fauna.

But that doesn’t mean that they are eager. The smell paints a picture that they are not excited to intrude in on. And the snarls and growls that grow whenever the Rangers get closer doesn’t exactly seem all that inviting. But they have to whether or not they like it.

The musk of sex was overpowering.

A Badger boar prepares a sevoflurane canister and tries his best to breathe through his mouth. As he moves to the entrance to get in position, he sees what is inside.

Nick stands over Judy. Or at least he tries to as he is tied to the rabbit doe. He snarls and snaps his jaws at the intruding Badger, his lips drawn in a snarl, revealing his sharp teeth.

Judy is trying to hide under him away from the predator that is invading their warren. Her Mate is doing his best to protect her, but she realizes that now is the worst time for this to happen. Neither of them able to move, the most that can happen is when the invader gets close enough, her Mate could try to dispatch him quickly.

Something flies in. And Nick catches it in his mouth, and thrashes it, shaking it side to side like he would for small prey.

Two things happen.

One is something expels from whatever it is, into his mouth and nostrils causing him to hack and cough to get whatever it is out.

The other causes Judy to go cross eyed. When he thrashes, it is a full body motion, and shakes her side to side by their connected hips. Then the following coughs makes him move back and forth slightly causes Judy to practically melt into a bunny puddle (kinda like the one on the ground).

Her vision fades, and not in the good way. Her eyelids are heavy and limbs even heavier. She barely noticed that Her mate is not moving.

He isn’t moving…

Get up!

_please…_

Her eyes flutter close as the Badger enters.

_no…_

And a paw reaches for her.

_…_

Nicks’ eyes open. White is surrounding him in all directions. The bedding not familiar and sterile of any scent other than his.

Where is she?

Where is his Mate?

Head high in the air, eyes closed, Nick is desperate to find even the smallest trace of her scent.

His mood is rapidly darkening. Where is she?

There is a shiny thing that holds water and another one that had, from what he could smell, poultry. They are next to the bedding not even a body length away. There is a reflective surface, kinda like a still water surface at night, that travels floor to ceiling.

Ears flat, eyes pinched, tail tucked, and body curling in a circle, Nick begins to whine. His emotional pain is clear to those who have ears and can hear.

…

Judy isn’t better off.

She is huddled in a corner in her own room. Ears down, eyes wide, statue still. Her heart beating fast with distress.

She also sought her Mate when her eyes first opened, but like him she couldn’t find him. Did the Badger kill him? Or did he not bother with the todd, instead just taking her? Not knowing his fate hurt.

However long they are there for doesn’t really matter. Both are becoming increasingly non-responsive, refusing to eat, losing both sleep and weight. Eyes no longer the lush green or vibrant violet that they had been when they arrived.

…

Thirteen days pass outside the quarantine chambers, nineteen since the museum. And the antidote is slow coming, no surviving samples of the serum means that there is no way to know what is the main toxin.

None of Bellweather’s accomplices are cooperating, including the chemists that apparently developed the serum. The fur tearing frustration is at a peak, all that the doctors and scientists could do is draw blood samples do whatever it is that they do. Idris doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care.

What he does care about is results, and that is something they haven’t gotten.

Someone has to know something.

But for now, he can only hope that there is light at the end of this tunnel.

At this moment, Idris is on his way to speak to the Head Veterinarian

from the medical team responsible for overseeing the savage mammals.

He expected the worse but hoped for the best.

What he didn’t expect was for the head scientist to be preoccupied with a small group of rabbits, two of whom he recognized as Judy’s parents.

One of the other rabbits was speaking “- be simple enough afterwards to create an antidote after we acquire some fresh samples.”

The word antidote causes the Buffalo’s ears to perk up. Seems like not all hope was lost

“Treating the toxin from Midnicampum Holicithias actually quite easy, but this is obviously a concentrate or is processed in some way. The toxin from the flower doesn’t last this long.

“Thank you for all your help, we are looking forward to working with you Dr. Hopps.”

As their conversation ends, the small group starts to head off. Idris steps aside to allow them to pass and waited until Stu and Bonnie got close, then he cleared his throat to grab their attention.

The two Rabbits stop and look up at the towering Buffalo.

When he knew that he had their attention started to speak “We at the ZPD offer our condolences to your family, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps.”

Bonnie stepped back to see his face better “Thank you Chief, thankfully you can expect that the victims will recover in the next few days with the help of my brother Terry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clayton Bridge is a reference to Clayton from Disney’s 1999 Tarzan.


	4. Solutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I was writing this and I hit a stump near the beginning, but I read one of the reviews and that has no account, it just says reviewer, that made me go “I could see that too.” Then boom, ma brain pulls a Gru and goes “Lightbulb.” If you know who you are Thanks for the big brain moment you gave you absolute god
> 
> (This was taken from the comments on the original site)

The third Rabbit in their group walks forward and sticks his paw out to offer the Chief a pawshake “It’s a pleasure to meet you Chief Bogo, my name is Terrance Hopps. I’m here to help produce an antidote for the poison affecting these mammals.”

The Rabbit’s paw was barely big enough to wrap around a single digit.

“I take it you have dealt with similar situations?”

“Unfortunately, yes. In fact, I had actually gone savage myself once.”

“ _You_ went savage?”

“Yes, _me._ Prey have actually gone savage more often than predators. This is not actually the first case of mammals going savage, but none never lasted long enough or affected more than one at a time for it to be any bigger than local news.”

“I assume that since you made the trip here, you would like to see Judy?”

“We would love that.” Bonnie was quick to respond.

“Then I’ll lead you to where we are holding her. However, due to the nature of savagery, we will not allow anyone to enter the room. You will be able to see her through the observation window.” The Buffalo pauses and looks of to the side and is surprised by what he sees.

…

Nick lets loose a loud growl. But not one from his throat, rather it comes from his stomach.

It doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t even feel hungry, so why does it tell him to eat?

The animals that walk on two legs never leave him alone. First they grab him with a long stick that wrapped around his throat, he didn’t move. They poke him with a tiny stick that made him sore afterwards, he made no noise. One thing or another, whatever they do to him, he didn’t move an inch, he hadn’t let loose a decibel.

He just exists.

Eventually they got comfortable spending time with him without restraining him.

They change the food that they offer him. They communicate with each other with sounds that he doesn’t recognize.

It doesn’t matter what they do, he doesn’t react to any of it.

…

Judy doesn’t care that her little nubs that used to be her claws are worn down and raw. She doesn’t care that her paws bled. She only eats enough to keep her energy high enough so that she could continue to dig and not wastes any time, or at least she tries to.

Nothing matters but her desire to find her Mate.

One day she wakes up with something covering her paws. It doesn’t come off and blocks her from using her claws, it smells like nothing she recognizes.

The little progress she made was reset, the corner where she began looked like it had when she first started.

Wwwhhhhyyyyy?!?

Tears run down her muzzle, she screeches out her out her frustration. But no matter how frustrated she gets, she won’t give up. It’s time for a new plan.

Think.

She needs to get out, so how is she going to do that?

Digging won’t work.

Start with what she knows. One: they enter and exist from the same place, nowhere else. A section of wall that opens with plenty of sound cues to alert her. Two: it’s always around the same time. While she can’t see the sun to track time more efficiently, she still has her internal clock. Three: the animals are always big. She guesses that it’s to make sure that she can’t fight them off (actually it’s to carry the amount of food needed by all the predators. They eat a lot), but they all covered in the same wrappings. It’s white and the smell stings her nose, but more importantly it’s long and hangs close to the ground.

Idea.

But first she needs all her strength, so she needs to wait just a bit longer.

…

On the outside of Nick’s cell, an argument is beginning to unfold.

“It seems like Mr. Wilde is suffering from Separation Anxiety. It’s actually common among social mammals like canines, however Vulpine are a generally solitary bunch so a case this severe is baffling. So that begs the question of what or who is causing this. Judging by the reports submitted by the ZPD and ZRC, it’s not that hard to determine that it’s most likely Miss Hopps.”

“We cannot let him be in the same room as her for the simple fact that right now he has reverted to a primal mindset. He has the instinct of a predator, and she is prey.”

“Red Foxes Mate for life, he will not hurt her, just put them back together.”

“But she not a vixen. We just don’t know what changes this has incurred, he hasn’t eaten for nine days. What if his hunger wins out over his loyalty to his Mate?”

“Please spare us. It’s not as if we’re starving them, there is plenty of food available at all times. If there was a time where he would even consider it, it was when she couldn’t move and in his den where he had to go hunting for his food. But nothing happened, so we can be confident that nothing will happen to her.”

Their argument had been going back and forth like this for some time.

“Put them together.” Everyone stops and looks at the older elephant bull who spoke.

He is the head Veterinarian and is someone who spent many years helping others.

When he speaks, everyone listens “There is no reason to keep them separate. If we do, Mr. Wilde will continue to deteriorate and Miss Hopps has already injured herself trying to escape.”

“But he is a fox, he cannot b-”

“Cannot what? Cannot be trusted? Why? The fact that they are Mates will guarantee her safety. Just transfer Miss Hopps to this cell.”

No one objects, or at least not vocally.

…

Ears flick up. It’s time.

Judy moves to the entrance opposite of the side that opens first. It’s a Brown Bear sow, that much she can tell from her distinctive smell.

The wall opens and it’s go time.

She fails without so much as hope for success. She thrashes in the Bear’s grip, and stops when she notices a finger that was just within reach. Judy sinks her long incisors into the fingertip and tastes blood, but she ignores it because all that matters is that she is now free.

And the cave is open.

…

Nick awakens to something running through his ears. His left eye opens and sees white covering his vision. He feels it again and he looks up. It’s big and gray. It holds something in its fore limbs, and it’s muzzle is like another appendage.

Benson Trunkaby usually doesn’t disregard protocol. But this was something that required something a bit more kind than sticking a Catch Pole around the todd’s neck.

He sees a kindred spirit. He himself went through almost the exact same thing after his own Mate’s funeral.

The helplessness of having a Mate lost to death breaks even the mightiest of souls, the strongest lion turns into a measly sand cat, the noblest twelve point Buck into a wimpy spike. And although Judy is alright, Nick here doesn’t know that. All he knows is that she isn’t here and he can’t get to her.

Nick is awake but doesn’t do anything, but that is expected with how he had been behaving recently.

Benson speaks, although he knows that whatever he says will not going to be understood. He just hopes that the comfort will be translated through tone and action “It’ll be alright, we’re bringing your Mate here. You’ll be whole again, just wait a little longer. I can tell that you’re strong and can wait a bit longer.”

What is in the old bull’s arms is some blankets in a ziplock.

Blankets that were supposed to go to laundry but hasn’t.

Blankets that were saturated in Judy’s scent.

When it’s opened, Benson sees light return to Nicks eyes. When he places them on Nicks bed, the todd gets up and moves to lay down on top of them with his nose buried deep in the fabric. Benson gets up and leaves him alone.

…

Judy runs down these tunnels at top speed, and the heavy pawsteps fades behind her. Not exactly how she planned it but no matter. Now, she has to find her way out.

The tunnel goes in three directions, and only one real choice. Behind her is the sow, so that isn’t an option, continue going straight and hit the dead end, or go right to where she doesn’t know where it leads.

Along the tunnel are the false walls evenly spaced apart. She won’t be able to open them so she doesn’t bother checking them out. Judy sees a branch of the tunnel that leads toward the surface. She could tell because she feels the breeze coming down.

What is at the top makes her freeze.

Bogo observes what is before him with a passive gaze, and he struggles to comprehend what is before him.

Judy Hopps.

Who was in supposed to be down in the isolation cells.

Is now out of the isolation cells.

He hears a gasp from Mrs. Hopps. Bonnie covers her mouth. It’s one thing to hear something, it’s another to see it. She sees Judy, but she can tell that there is something missing, a certain light in her eyes. This is not the Judy she knew.

She moves towards her daughter, her little trier, each step slow and deliberate with no sudden movements. She couches down reaches out with her hand, palm out. Judy moves forward with just as much trepidation the doe in front of her.

And once Judy is close enough, she hesitates only for a second before pressing her cheek to the outstretched paw.

The Sow catches up to the group, panting lightly “Alright you little carrot muncher, lets get you back downstairs.”

The Rabbits present are a bit miffed at the name calling.

She reaches in her lab coat and pulls out a syringe and looks to Bonnie “Mind holding her still?” To which she just nods

Judy barely flinches before she quickly falls unconscious. Her sleeping form is picked up by the Sow and now is being carried down stairs, who avoids eye contact with the Cape Buffalo who is staring her down.

Stu and Bonnie wordlessly follow behind her, worried gazes fixes on the sleeping doe. Terrace lags behind with Idris.

Along the way, they run into Dr. Trunkaby “Gwen, why is Miss Hopps all the way over here? Shouldn’t she have been moved already?”

“Well after her Shrewshank Redemption attempt failed, she thought that it would be a good idea to try and blitz the door when it opened. I’m actually on my way to move her to his cell now.”

“Wait, move her to who’s cell?” The Elephant looks down and sees the other two Rabbits.

He answers like it was the most obvious thing in the world “Well her Mate’s of course.”

…

Nick hears the door open and close. His nose twitches.

His head shoots up but he is covered by the bedding. Leaping off the bed, he gets tangled and trips. He has to fight a bit to get free. When he does, he sees her. The light returns to his emerald eyes with full force and he sprints to the animal carrying her. He places his forepaws on the thick legs to balance on his hind paws to be able to get closer.

When that isn’t close enough, he jumps. It’s more like bouncing, but he doesn’t have to do this very long as she is placed on the bed.

Bonnie watches this todd turn into a kit in a toy store just by Judy’s presence. Her paw clutches her chest as the doctor places her on the bed within the Foxes reach.

He jumps on the bed and she didn’t expects what he does next.

He curls up against Judy and begins to groom her, pouring all of his affection into the action. When he is satisfied, he wraps her in his tail and goes to sleep.


	5. Round Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this I come up with on the fly, so I’ll get inspiration from where ever as long as it clicks so feel free to make suggestions. And one more thing… admit you were thinking of your/a friend’s dog at the end of last chapter.

Terence Hopps had turned out to be the the best thing to happen since arresting former Mayor Bellweather. His crew, who had accompanied him to the city, were making strides in creating an antidote for the Night Howler Serum and it is ready for use.

Four days since being reunited, Nick’s hunger had hit him full force. The last bit of activity drained him of the dregs that he was running on.

He spent his time either eating or sleeping, sometimes he fell asleep at his food dish with his muzzle still in the bowl.

Judy was glowing now that she was by his side, she didn’t go very long without physical contact. Brushing by him, grooming him to sleep, curled together for a afternoon nap, watching him sleep.

And since her return, his weight was returning to a healthy range.

There was only a short period of time when they both were awake at the same time due to him being nocturnal and she being diurnal.

They spent this time playing small games together, his favorite is the tail game. Judy has a fascination with his fluffy tail, and she tends to bury her head into it. So Nick moves his tail each time she tries, and watches her become frustrated.

She eventually developed her own pounce where she hides off the edge of the bed, and leaps like a Fox (which she learned by watching him hunt back at their den) and when she is about to bury herself in the russet fur, he moved it out of the way.

Eventually she gets upset and changes her target from the tail to the owner, which’s starts a game of chase.

She always wins as one: her body was more adept at quick turns and his forte is short sprints which wasn’t suited for the confined space, and two: his endurance isn’t quite up to par with his usual standards.

When she inevitably crashes into him, her eyes shine with amusement which she tries to hide with annoyance. Annoyance that disappears when he reaches over and renews his mark on her, which he has done so many times the past few days that a mole wouldn’t know that they are different mammals (because they are practically blind, they rely on their noses so they have one of the best sniffers out there).

Bonnie and Stu watch them from the other side of the glass.

They had been keeping a close eye on their daughter and her Mate. Even when all animals were primitive, they still had distinct personalities that differentiated each individual as unique. So they watched to see what kind of mammal Judy had chosen as a mate, and they saw a new side from Judy.

Everyone treats different mammals in different ways. A mammal will act differently with friends than a boss, who is treated differently than with family.

But only with a Mate, a true Life-Mate, will a mammal hold no mask, put up no act. The inner workings are laid out bare and will have no fear of what they see in return. All the mistakes and accomplishments both come together to create a individual unique to one mammal and no one else.

Judy was always polite to everyone and always the first to speak up in defense of others. And apparently she was also very touch hungry.

She also nipped his ear more than once, which the poor todd didn’t understand.

When a Fox is feeling frisky, both todds and vixens, they are straightforward and blatant. A Rabbit Doe is different, while bucks are insistent, doe’s are not. A doe would do subtle actions or behavior like wiggle her tail when he can see it, and while if he was close enough, he might bat at it but otherwise he’s done nothing else. Another is when they are dozing she might be a little restless, shifting more often needed to get comfortable, things of that nature. But it seems like that body language doesn’t translate well to the todd. Scent is a whole other can of worms. Bunny pheromones are an all or nothing sort of deal. Because Rabbits can go into heat at any time, when she does releases scent it will trigger the start of a heat cycle unless already pregnant. It is not a good idea to go into heat that often unless she tries for a litter.

Stu is thankful for the todd’s inability to read Rabbit behavior. He focuses back onto the conversation

“-to do is choose the first one to try it on”

Stu chooses to speak and it’s not what anyone expected him to say “Try it on Nick here, because I don’t think Jude would be all that happy seeing her mate like that after what she did for him.”

Terence shrugs and walks in with the other Scientists and Vets. They want to record as much as they can and since Nick hasn’t a shown a single act of aggression, he is a perfect opportunity to gather this information.

They don’t exactly appreciate the overwhelming musk of Fox but they carry on.

The clear syringe finds its mark on a hindquarter with a yip and Nick’s vision quickly started to blur. The squeak from Judy never reaches his ears as he blacks out.

They take him to another room and they wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Seven hour later is when Nick opens up his eyes. Unfamiliar faces surround him.

“I know I’m pretty, but why are you watching me sleep. Better yet, who are you and where am I?” Is not the first thing they expect him to say.

“I’m Dr. Terence Hopps, and you are in Precinct One’s Isolation Cells which have been converted into a guarded medical ward to contain mammals who have been infected with Night Howler. It has been twenty three days since you have been infected.” Jaws drop, eyes widen, and ears fold.

Bonnie slaps him on the back of head “You can’t tell him like that, you need to be more tactful.”

“Three weeks… I’ve been out for three weeks? I don’t remember much other than what I had for breakfast. Three weeks… wait… Night Howlers? Care to fill me in?”

“Seems like you missed out on quite an adventure, the only thing that we know of that day was you ended up hijacking a train and blowing it up. You ended up revealing the new Mayor, Dawn Bellweather, as the mastermind using Midnicampum Holicithias, a toxic flower often referred to as Night Howlers, to cause predators savage.”

“I did that?” Nick voice carried disbelief

“Yes you. You and Judy Hopps.” The fox face slips behind a stoic mask

Two pairs of eyes glance at each other in worry. What is happening?

“And how is Officer Hopps doing?”

A pit grows in Bonnie’s gut

“She is still currently infected, you are the first to receive the antidote.”

“So I’m the Guinea Pig.” A squeak of indignation is heard from one of the Vets.

“You are hardly the first to be infected, there was already a treatment for Night Howler poisoning but not for anything of this magnitude.”

“Ok then, in that case, give me an AMA form.”

Bonnie’s eyes narrow “Aren’t you going to check on Judy?”

Green eyes harden “No.”

Terence speaks up “Due to the nature of Night Howler poisoning, you are not allowed to leave until we can confirm there are no lingering effects.”

“Then I do not want any visitors, and ask that you all leave.”

…

Judy is restless, where have they taken her Mate? The wall opens and her mother and sire enter.

They sit with her, and her mother brushes her ears. 

Their ears are droopy, they are sad.

Why are they sad? What happened?

They left with her Mate, and they came back without him. Where is her Mate? While she begins to panic, she felt a prick on her hindquarter and falls asleep.

What happened between these two before Judy came home? Stu and Bonnie didn’t know but they soon will find out.

After the second day in Zootopia, Judy was glowing with happiness. At first Bonnie thought that it was that she was finally a Police Officer. But thinking back her first day wasn’t all that happy, gloomy even. Then after the third day, Judy was just a mess. Bonnie never saw her little trier be so depressed.

These past few days saw Judy happier than she has been in a long time, even if she probably wouldn’t remember.

When she saw what Judy’s name did to Nick, it showed her something. He was hurt, so much so that he had to hide within himself. He weakly tried to hide it but even if he did try Bonnie raised too many kits to be fooled.

Who hurt who? Both of them are in pain, one sinks into a depression and the other becomes a robot.

The only way to fix this is to confront Judy on what happened. They were working together before they turned savage, so they must have fixed it once.

So that means that they can do it again.

Judy wakes up much quicker than Nick did, she yawns and stretches.

“Judy? How’re you doing?”

“I’m fine.” She’s not.

Her eyes scan the room “Where am I?”

Bonnie reaches out and puts her paw on Judy’s arm “You’re not fine, your ears are droopy. But there are more pressing matters than where we are.” Bonnie takes a breath to resolve herself “What happened between you and Nick?”

The unexpected question causes Judy to inhale sharply “How do you know about him? Did he contact you? Is he here? Did he leave something? A note or a number?” Her eyes shine with unshed tears.

They did not expect a flurry of questions, they expected her to get defensive or to deny knowing a Nick. (Except for her younger brother; there are only so many names after all)

Bonnie answers her “Yes Nick is here. Both of you were admitted into quarantine because you two had turned savage.”

Judy flinches as her own voice flashes in her head ‘It’s not like a bunny can go savage.’

The tears fall as she mumbles with a tiny hiccup “I’m so stupid.”

Stu immediately says “You are not stupid Jude”

Judy shakes her head “Yes I am, I spout out some nonsense about biology and everyone takes my word for it. What was I thinking, I didn’t study medicine like uncle Terry. What made me think that I was qualified to answer that question?”

Bonnie blinks “Question? Do you mean the question from the conference from when you found Cliffside? If that is what you’re upset about, you already solved it. You and Nick found where the serum was being made and destroyed it. You guys figured out who was behind it and recorded a confession. I think you fixed that mistake.”

Judy finds the floor very interesting “But it doesn’t fix what happened after.”

“And what happened after?”

“We had an argument. Actually was more like him chastising me, he felt betrayed after he opened up and he trusted me with personal information about himself. After I tried to defend my actions, he proved his point. He accused me of being scared of him. Didn’t even take much to make me reach for the stupid Fox repellent dad gave me.”

Guilt tore through Bonnie and Stu. They had cultivated that mistrust into all of their kits. They worried about their kits, why wouldn’t they, they worried about all of their kits.

However that mistrust had damaged their daughters relationship with a mammal that would’ve doted on her, one who would’ve treated her like a queen.

There is still hope though. After all they had fixed their relationship once “Do you want to speak with him?”

Judy’s ears perk up “He wants to talk?”

“Actually he kicked us out and said he doesn’t want visitors.” Judy’s heart shatters

“But your not a visitor, you are just another patient who is going to share an examination room with him.”

Judy isn’t encouraged “He doesn’t want to see me.” Judy is defeated, her heart shatters at the thought.

“He doesn’t need to see you. Only hear you, once you get you say, I bet you that you’ll be best buds again.” Stu tries his best to cheer her up

Bonnie doesn’t know if this a good time to tell her of what happened after they went savage. It’s inevitable, but Judy can only take so much before something breaks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you thought that I was going somewhere else with that chapter title?
> 
> AMA form: Against Medical Advice form. It is a form for when a patient is unwilling to stay in a hospital and wants to leave. It a waiver absorbing the hospital of any damage that may happen after you leave because of improper or unfinished treatment.


	6. Where We Came From

Nick was not expecting Judy to be in his temporary room when he woke up. Usually he was a light sleeper, so he was quite surprised when she appeared next to his bed when he first woke up.

“Nick-” Judy didn’t get to finish

“I told them no visitors.” He presses the ‘call nurse’ button.

“Well I’m not a visitor, I’m your roomie for the time being.” She gestured toward her stuff that had been set up in the bed next to his.

“Besides we need to-”

“No we don’t” he presses it again.

“If you would just-”

“Just what, hm? Listen to you defend yourself? Or is it that you want me to give you more?” His eyes seem to glow from the fire behind them. “I may not remember what happened. But I know that I must of forgiven you, why else would I be with you. And what is the first thing that happens to me? I end up out of commission for three weeks. Do you think that I don’t have responsibilities or things that require my attention? Or do you think that all I do is hustle money from poor, hard working mammals.” Nick growls

Judy eyes mist over with unshed tears, but she refuses to let them fall “Nick… nothing I do can make up for the time that was taken from you. I know that I owe you a debt that cannot be paid and I hope with all my heart that nothing was ruined because of me.” She places her paw on his arm.

The Fox is silent. He doesn’t move it.

The nurse enters the room with a soft knock “Is there something you need, sir?” She could practically see the tension saturating the air.

“Yes, I seem to be missing some of my belongings.”

“I’m sorry sir, but most of the belongings on you when you arrived has been placed in evidence. Anything else that wasn’t found is either lost or destroyed.”

His head hangs and he sighs “Of course. Is there a land line I could use?”

“Yes sir, right this way.”

“Nick-”

“I’ll be back, we can talk then.”

The phone is actually right outside the door at the nurse’s station.

Judy can’t see him but her hearing is good enough to listen to Nick with little difficulty. If Nick knew just how good Rabbit ears are, he would’ve closed the door all the way. Not that it would actually stop her from hearing. She could hear his claws tap against the number keys. He waits for whoever he called to answer, which don’t take very long.

“Hey Ashe? Yeah it’s me, I jus-” he stops talking

Judy however cannot hear the other voice that is speaking to Nick other than it’s feminine, and it’s mad.

“No! It’s not like that and you know it.”

“…”

“I’m in a temporary hospital at the police station in City Center… No I wasn’t arrested… I don’t remember everything but I know the gist of it… Could you put her on the phone now?... No I don’t have my phone anymore… Fine, I’ll see you later.”

Who did he call? The uncertainty eats away at Judy. Was it a girlfriend? Or a Mate?

Nick enters the room. He doesn’t think much of the worried gaze that follows him. “Do you remember what happened?”

“No I don’t, my parents gave me a basic rundown of what happened. Somehow we found why the predators went savage, the Night Howlers are actually toxic flowers that was brewed into a serum. We found where it was being made and destroyed it. Afterwards we found out that Dawn was the mastermind, and got a recording of her confessing to what she did. But she infected both of us before help could do anything ourselves.”

“Oh, is that all?”

She shook her head “No, there’s more but they haven’t told me. They said that it would be better if both of us were present.”

“Well where are they now?.”

“There is a couple of things that they need to get, but they wouldn’t tell me what it is though.”

Nick is fighting himself. During this entire discussion, he has been slowly warning back up to her. But he can’t.

She needs to know that her actions have consequences. And those consequences affect not just her, he thought that she already figured that out.

He just wants to hold her and say ‘I forgive you.’

He knows that she feels guilty, and that’s good. She’ll think about how her actions more carefully from now on. Because life usually doesn’t give second chances, let alone three.

And it hurt knowing that he would be the one to teach her this lesson.

He plans on forgiving her, he is incapable of staying mad at her. When she looked at him with watery eyes, droopy ears, and a quivering nose.. he thought that would be illegal to say no to that face.

It was hard to do something that could make her cry.

“Can we talk later? I need some time to myself right now.”

Judy nods, hope plants a seed in her heart. He still is willing to talk. As long as she can be his friend, she’ll be happy. For as long as she can be before she needs more and ruins this.

For the next few hours Judy watches TV as Nick naps. The volume was low enough to keep from disturbing him, and it was all thanks to her exceptional hearing. He had closed the privacy curtain and hadn’t come out since.

A knock at the door alerts Judy to a visitor. Guess he told them that someone was coming, otherwise they wouldn’t let them in.

A Gray Fox vixen peeks her head in “Excuse me? Is this Nick’s room?”

Judy nods her head “Yes it is, but he’s napping right now.” she keeps her voice down, but it’s not a whisper.

The vixens’ ear flicks in annoyance and her eyes narrow. She opens the door all the way and holds the door open.

Judys’ heart breaks.

An older Red Fox vixen, whose muzzle fur started to gray and is in wheelchair, rolls her way in and parks herself in front of Judy’s bed.

The gray vixen points to the curtain “Behind this?” At Judy’s nod, she throws the curtains wide open.

Judy sees Nick laying on his side with his knees tucked in, resting his head on his forepaws, and tail curled around him.

She wonders what it’s like to use that tail as a blanket.

The red vixen moves herself to his bed, and Judy sees her tail being carried in a bag. She moves her paw away from the wheel to scratch his scalp.

“Oh Nicky.” Her voice was soft and full of relief.

The gray vixens’ ear flicked in annoyance.

Judy watches them and they notice, but they don’t acknowledge her.

Nick eventually opens his eyes.

He winces and his ears drop “Oh. Hi Mom.”

Judy gets up and moves to the door, when she leaves she makes sure to close the door.

She can’t leave the ward, the stairs going up to the main floor is guarded and the glass doors at the bottom are now locked. But that doesn’t mean she can’t walk around. There were chairs and a table set up for the patients that were a bit more restless.

She hears claws on laminate. She turns toward that should and sees the gray vixen come out of the room and make her way to a empty seat.

She decided to introduce herself so she packed the vixen and stuck out her paw “Hi, I’m Judy.”

She is hesitant to grab it “Ashe.”

“So you were the one that Nick called earlier. Seemed like you gave him heck earlier.”

Ashe snorts “That’s cute.”

Judy immediately responds “You can’t call a bunny cute.”

A smirk all too familiar makes it’s way onto her muzzle “I didn’t call you cute, now did I? I called your refusal of swearing cute.”

Judy frowns. Were all Foxes like this?

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

“You were thinking ‘Are all Foxes assholes’ and I answered yes.”

“Actually, I was comparing you and Nick.”

The vixen cringed “Please don’t.”

They both had stopped talking. What now?

Pawsteps grab Judys’ attention. She sees Uncle Terry and Chief Bogo. She wasn’t expecting them to be this quick.

“Where is Mr. Wilde?” Judy rememberers the tone from Chief Bogo when he last spoke to her in Bellweather’s office.

She points to the door “He’s in the room with his Mother.”

“We can come back later, we didn’t have much time but Mrs. Felicity wanted to stop by anyways.” Ashe moves toward the room before anything could be said.

“Liss, remember that we have to go to Luna’s for dinner. She’s expecting us to bring dessert.”

The older vixens’ ears perk “I completely forgot! Sorry Nicky, but we already had plans. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Bogo waits until they leave until he addressed them “I don’t know how to say this gently, so I’ll say this bluntly. We arrived just as Mr. Wilde was shot, you had already been exposed.”

He turns to Nick “You used your last moment of sanity to give us the recording of Bellweathers’ confession. You two managed to not kill each other, but instead work together. We lost track of you two for six days where we found the to of you in the Silverpaw Reservation. And since then you have been here. The… state that you were found in, is something that is of a sensitive nature.”

Nick narrowed his eyes “And what was the state that we were in?”

Just like ripping off a bandaid “You two were Mating. The Ranger who had to pull the two of you out of your den was quite upset.”

More like superglue.

Nick and Judy stiffened up. That was quite a shock to just drop on them. Not like getting drunk then rutting something but more like getting drunk, rutting, and then waking up when the other mammal already left.

The inside of Judys’ ears were just a red as Nicks fur and if one were to look closely, a bit of red showed through her fur. Her nose was twitching furiously, she got to be Nick’s Mate and she didn’t even remember it.

Nick was speechless. This seemed like something from an old action movie: the handsome protagonist goes through this dangerous adventure, gets in a fight with his love interest, makes up with his love interest, goes on another dangerous adventure, he beats the bad male (bad female technically) and he got the female, but he doesn’t get to keep the memory.

Actually that sounds like a great movie, and it gets to say ‘based on a true story’.

Then they realize who they are sitting next to. Their hearts begin to beat like thunder. Judy thinks she can hear his, but her own is too loud to make sure.

Their eyes flick to the other, and then flick back forward when their eyes meet.

Bogo clears his throat “I will be taking my leave, Dr. Hopps will remain within the vicinity for a while so if you need anything, go to him.” He wastes no time escaping the room.

Terry leaves with him as he tells them “I will be checking on the other patients and will be making rounds, I’ll be back later if you want to ask me anything.”

Nick stops him before he can go “Wait, if that’s true how come I don’t smell my mark on her?”

Judys’ ears shoot up. That’s right, if they had… ‘done it’, then she would have his mark on her, but she hasn’t noticed a single thing different about her scent.

“You two just spent thirteen days in a confined space with no one else in there for more than a couple of minutes. You two have just gone nose blind to each other. I can tell you right now that Judy smells exactly like you.”

Judy is too busy staring off into space that she doesn’t notice that Nicks’ tail started to sway back and forth, and Nick doesn’t notice because other than deliberate actions, most of what his tail does isn’t really a conscious action.

They don’t notice, but Terence does. He doesn’t fight back a smile that forms. Looks like Bonnie doesn’t have to worry about a thing. This time he leaves uninterrupted.

…

…

Nick and Judy don’t say anything. Judy turns her gaze toward Nick, and sees conflict in his eyes. Her eyes drift toward the moving tail and her heart hammers away when she saw the wag.

Does he? Can he actually?

“Judy.” She misses the nicknames. It just seems more personal.

Her eyes snap back up to look at him. His head is down and his paws clenching his knees.

“I’m sorry for what I have done.”

Judy has to take a deep breath to utter the words that come next. This is it. This can make or break her future relationship with the todd.

“I’m not.”

His eyes widen and his head snaps up. Those emerald eyes that she finds to be her favorite color now stares at her. His eyes lock with hers and he opens his mouth

“Huh?”


	7. Where We Are Going

“I’m not.”

Nick was not expecting that. His brain had checked out and the replacement didn’t show up “Huh?”

“I’m not sorry that it happened. Or at least that it happened with you. Because I’m in love with you”

His heart can’t decide to beat furiously or stop in shock.

“You were not.. easy to deal with when we first met, but I wasn’t either. But just a few hours together and you became my best friend. We just clicked and worked so well together.. or at least I thought so. You had all these great stories about who you knew or what you did, and I didn’t care if it was true or not because it felt like I could’ve been there with you. You can’t be surprised to find out that I fell for you. I could joke around with you can not be worried about stepping on your paws, and you did the same with me. My time with you has been the most fun I have ever had.”

Judy grabs his larger paw with both of her smaller ones. Her eyes never leaves his. They are searching. He never moves except to angle his ears toward her and to flick his eyes to his paw and back.

“You defended me from the Chief of Police in front of his Officers, you followed me into dangerous situations that you should never been in, you even saved my life. I handed you the application because I could not think of anything I want more than to work with you everyday. I was so happy that you were seriously considering it, but I ruined it with that stupid conference. I tried to follow you out but I got stopped, and when I got outside I couldn’t find you. And after all of that, I got to be with you and I can’t even remember it.”

Nick can’t breathe. Of course he liked her back, but he never allowed himself to hope.

Interspecies relationships were hardly seen, not because of prejudice although that is a factor, but because of the differences in traditions and practices. Miscommunications were never ending, and it took patience because being in a relationship like that it means that you basically need to learn how to be a different species.

This was not a problem or at least a big one between like-species like Jaguars and Leopards, or Foxes and Coyotes. Mixing between predators or between prey was harder depending on the species. But between predator _and_ prey was rare, even among other interspecies. The ones who endured those trials were the ones who made the biggest strides for interspecies acceptance.

He felt like he died and went to heaven. He didn’t know how long he was quiet… FUCK! Say something dumbass.

Judy felt like she was having a heart attack. She ruined everything.

He hasn’t said anything.

He was frozen.

“Nick please say something.” Her eyes were watery.

“Judy.” A deep breath

Here it comes. She tucks her ears back, shuts her eyes, and prepares herself.

“Judy, no one has said anything that has made me happier.”

Huh? One ear perks up and one eye opens.

“I said that what you said made me happy.”

Judy lets the tears fall. Her smile is radiant, and she punches his arm… Hard.

“OW! What gives Carrots?” There it is. He is the only person who could get away with calling her that (Other than her Parents, Chief Bogo, etc. because she really can’t do anything to them).

“You don’t make someone wait that long for answer!” She reaches up to grab his shirt.

He yelps as she yanks him down and connects their lips for a kiss. He relaxes and reaches down to her waist to pull her close. He breaks the kiss to nuzzle their necks together and he rumbles in enjoyment. His tail wraps around them without his instruction. She pulls away and scratches the underside of his throat.

His eyes roll up. “That’s the spot, yyeeessss. How do you even know about that?” His tail breaks the embrace to wag.

She can’t hold her laughs. “There are a couple of Fox families back home. When I saw one of the older kits in town with his girlfriend and she did this to him, he ended up like you.”

She continued to scratch. She watches what her claws do to him with a smile.

Nick doesn’t open his eyes “His girlfriend huh?” The question doesn’t need to be said.

Judys’ heart flutters “Yes.”

Nicks waits for a bit. “Does this mean I get to call you cute?”

“Nick!”

…

Terence had finished his rounds and was on his way to check on Nick and Judy. He really hoped that things worked out for them.

He knocks on the door before opening it. They were too busy with each other to notice.

Seems like there’s a happy ever after waiting them. He sees them sharing a bed, Judy propped up against the wall and Nick is resting his head on her lap. And she is running her claws through his scalp, ears, and neck. His tail swishing with what must be bliss.

He closes the door and leaves them be. Right now, they need the peace and quiet. Because later is when their trials will start.

Two days since they received the antidote and they are all free to leave. The foyer of the Police Station was crowed with reporters, family, and friends. They all cheer when the first mammal climbs up the stairs. Flashes going off and family rushing to them. Hugs, tears, and kisses were given and returned. Parents reuniting with Sons and Daughters. Children rushing to their Mothers and Fathers.

When Nick and Judy are heading up they are concealed by the larger mammals.

Nick turns to Judy “Do you care if they know?”

She leans her head against his arm “I want them to know that I have this handsome todd wrapped around my finger.” She grabs his paw.

“Ha! Oh really?” He reaches over and gives her ear a small nip. She shudders and her eyes close slightly.

She shoots her other paw out and scratches his neck “Yes really.”

It doesn’t disappoint “No fair. Watch, one day after I find your spot, I’ll have my revenge.”

She lowers her voice to where only he can hear “I can’t wait.”

She smirks as he chokes on his saliva.

His smirk grows once he learns how to breathe again “You know, I’ve been told that Foxes were good at eating cute little Bunnies.”

He radiates smug as he watches her ears glow crimson as she tries to hide them.

She grows a grin before she says “I’ve been told that Foxes were liars, I guess you need to show me to prove it.” And now it his turn to blush, but his smile never wavered.

“Just to let you know.” he lets go of her paw and brings his own around to rest on her waist, hugging her to his side. They can now see over the top of the stairs, Nick waits till they can be seen. He lowers his voice to a husky whisper into her ear “Once you go red, you never leave the bed.”

He watches in satisfaction as she tries hold her laugh in, but he sees that her tail is blurring side to side. He noticed that her breath hitched before she tries to contain her snorts.

Sly Fox one, flustered Bunny zero.

Stu and Bonnie found them in the crowd and move to greet them.

One reporter notices the couple. And another, and another until they all are now focusing on the two and they start moving toward the Fox and Bunny.

Bonnie was there first to reach them “C’mon Judy, we brought one of the vans. Nick, we can give you a ride home if you want.”

“Actually, I’m spending the rest of the day with my Mom, but thanks for offering.” Nick smiled in appreciation.

He looks at a nearby wall clock and his body sagged just a bit before he corrected his posture. “Look, I’m going to be leaving soon and before I go, I wanted to apologize again for how I acted. It wasn’t right and I was taking my frustrations out on you, and you don’t deserve that.”

“We said that it’s quite alright. You’ve just had a lot dumped on you all at once, it’s understandable that you were a bit flustered” Stu holds out his paw for Nick to shake.

Nick grabs his paw “Still doesn’t make it right.”

Nick turns to Judy “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She is about to say goodbye when he puts a finger to her chin, tilting it up, and steals a kiss from her. When he pulls away, she follows him to stay connected but he’s too tall. He walks to the front door and before he leaves, he looks back. When he sees that she’s still looking at him, he winks before disappearing outside.

They didn’t even notice the reporters who are watching them.

Judy turns to her parents “What do you want for lunch?”

When Judy got home later that night, she researched about Red Fox courting traditions and practices. Judy is baffled at how many differences there are between their two species.

Like how a vixen is the one who initiates relationships. While a todd will hover around a vixen he is attracted to, never actually taking action, instead he will drive off any competition. Then there is the non verbal language that all canines use. It’s a language not of words, but of scent, tail position, and combinations of yips, growls, barks, rumbles, and whines.

It’s an entire language that doesn’t need to be taught, it’s mostly instinctual and it’s the first language that pups use to communicate with. That also means that when someone wants to learn, there is no material to read from and a mammal would need to either have to get a canine to teach them. Or spend enough time to just to pick up on actions and sounds and when they are used.

Her last search: ‘Tips for dating a Fox todd’, yielded the most useful information.

Every site, blog, and forum stress the importance of scent things that are done with scent. Let the your significant other to mark you frequently. They may mark your clothes or other things that you often keep on you or near you. And they stress that you reciprocate those actions. It’s also recommended to switch out scented shampoos for non-scented ones because it not only interferes with a mark, but also interferes with your own scent.

There were even a couple of off-paw comments about not pulling away when knotted as trying to separate could cause injury to both parties.

Most things aren’t for Foxes specially but for canines in general. One thing that is more for Foxes than other canines is that it is easy for them to become jealous and territorial, and become agitated or aggressive when there is a suitor interested in a taken mate. Just a wrong look in the wrong direction could flip a switch in their head. Especially in new relationships.

What pops up more than anything else is time. Depending on the individual, courting lasts multiple years, averaging five to six.

Judy stops to think. How does the recent events that she went through affect her relationship with Nick? They seemed to skip multiple stages that normally took months or even years to overcome within weeks of even knowing each other.

She guesses it doesn’t matter. She wouldn’t trade what she has for anything now that she has it.


	8. Before the Storm

“So… You hunting Bunnies now?” Felicity raised her eyebrow.

Nick sighs “Do you have anything against it?”

He pushes her chair towards the mini van. He picks her up and places her in the passenger seat and folds the wheelchair and places it in the trunk.

Ashe is in the drivers’ seat, so that leaves him with the back.

“If I think what is happening, is happening.” She pins him with her glare “It better not be.”

“No, it’s not a hustle, trick, or scam.”

Ashe decides now is a good time to speak up “If it’s not a trick, how’d you get her to date you?”

“Is it so hard to believe that she likes me?”

“Naw, your too ugly for a Bunny.”

“I’ll let you know that I’m the epitome of good looks and charm.” Nick raises his chin and gestures to himself over dramatically, which draws a giggle from his mother.

“So give me the details.” The older vixen turned around to face her son. If her tail worked it would be wagging.

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?”

She smiles all too sweetly “Nope.”

He sighs, if he keeps doing that he’s going to get light headed. “So I met Judy little over four months ago, and at first we didn’t get along…”

Nick didn’t tell her _everything_. And she knew it. But it seemed like she wasn’t going to get him to spill.

“So when are you going to introduce us?”

“We only started dating two days ago. I don’t think that is long enough to warrant introducing her to you.”

“It’s never too early!”

“We’ll see.”

They get to a diner. Nick recognizes this diner as the one that was one that he used to go to often as a kit. He hasn’t been here in so long.

Time flies by as they eat and catch up on what has been going on while Nick was savage. After leaving the diner, they spend all day and most of the evening together. He gets dropped off at home and watches as they leave. He walks into the building and unlocks the door.

After amassing a small fortune from his time on the streets, he bought himself a nice unit in a condominium located in Deerbrooke, one of the nicer districts in Zootopia. Most of the money he makes goes into paying his Moms’ rent and buying and maintaining specialized equipment for her home. But he made plenty and he wanted a place where he didn’t need to maintain it as much as a full blown house but still somewhere he couldn’t be kicked out.

He had enough to live comfortably without working another day in his life if he only worried about himself. He continued to hustle in order to have enough for a rainy day and he needed to dip into savings. Insurance didn’t cover everything after all.

His condo had the living room and two bedrooms, one of which was mostly just storage. The living room and kitchen were in the same space but it was big enough to fit most medium sized mammals so it was plenty big for him. There was no dining table as there was a island in the kitchen that he used instead.

Going through his fridge, he grabs some juice pours himself a glass. Looking around, he never noticed how empty it was.

He always spent his time outside and only came back to sleep or when he was sick. Going to the couch, he opens his laptop, he decided to check what was trending. He may not be on it all the time, but he still likes to know what’s going on.

He was surprised to see his and Judys’ picture at the ZPD. It was of them kissing. It was an article about Judy and it questions what her opinions of predators actually were. She first calls predators savages and then is seen in an intimate moment with a Fox of all mammals.

The same Fox that went savage and dragged her off to do who knows what with her. There were many discussions on them and this is what it means to have a high profile figure in an interspecies relationship. Some praise them for there bravery and inspiration for all mammals, others call them unnatural.

Some of the arguments get really heated. Nick can only worry about how this will affect Judy.

Nick wasn’t in love with Judy, he didn’t know her well enough to say that. But he definitely imprinted on her, and that was much more concerning. When a fox imprints, it doesn’t matter what he thinks or what he want, his body will never be interested in anyone else.

And eventually it’ll change him. In what way is different for everyone depending on the individual and the circumstances that led to the imprinting. Nick knew it must of happened while working on the missing mammals case. He knew that he saw her more and more differently as he spent more time with his Bunny. After their little spat at the press conference, he was unbelievably hurt.

Maybe the saying ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ has more merit than its given. The second part is definitely true though ‘But it sure makes the rest of you lonely.’

However he imprinted, it doesn’t matter because there is no changing it now. He can only thank Robin Hood that Judy liked him back. Because it would’ve been really bad if she didn’t.

As much as he hates to admit it, Foxes were fragile. They feel intensely and hurt intensely. They become depressed too easily and when angry, they become extremely vindictive. The prejudice that most Foxes face hurt much more because of it.

A chiming from his pocket interrupts the silence. He’s getting carried away in his thoughts again.

‘You free right now?’

Nick responds ‘4 u? Nvr.”

His phone rings.

He hangs up, but it calls back. He hangs up.

But calls back again, and again, and again until he finally answers the phone “What do _you_ want?”

“…”

“ I’m actually kinda busy tomorrow, do you think it can wait indefinitely?”

“…”

Nick isn’t happy about that “Now wait a minute-”

“…”

“I’m busy, and there’s no way that I’m going to cancel my plans, especially not for you.”

“…”

“I’m sorry but no.”

“…”

“Don’t you dare.” The caller hangs up.

“ **FUCK!** ” He throws the glass against the wall and it shatters in a splash of color. Thankfully, the other side of the wall is his room and not the neighbors.

Maybe he should have some liquor for things like this.

...

Judy woke up from a wonderful dream. One that involved her, her Fox, and things that made her grow a dopey grin and a cause a blush to burn in the soft inside of her ears. Maybe she shouldn’t have continued her research on Foxes right before bed.

While she was in the “hospital”, her parents had gotten her a new lease at the Grand Pangolin. They tried to get her to move to a different place, but she wanted that place because of its proximity to the station. They at least got her to move rooms to a nicer one, one that was closer to the top floor, and one that was usually more expensive. But the landlady kept the rent the same. Said it was good business to have a celebrity living there.

No matter how much nicer and bigger, they still didn’t have a shower in unit. Although she now has a kitchenette and a half bath. She gathers her little ‘bathroom bag’ as she calls it, a small bag that has toiletries, a small waterproof speaker, and enough space to carry a change of clothes, and heads to the communal bathroom. She finds that showering in the morning is like a cup of coffee.

Not that she would know, as Bunnies can’t drink or eat anything with a large amount of caffeine. Their hearts beat really fast as it is, any faster and it could cause problems.

She practically skips to the shower. She had plans to spend the day with Nick, her _boyfriend._

She never dated many bucks, and none longer than a year. Certainly none that made her feel the way Nick did.

She sets up her things in the stall and connected the speaker. What can she say? Music just sets the pace for whatever she’s doing. She decided to listen something happy and upbeat, so she chooses Lucky Day by Hunter Hunted.

A ping through her speaker text from Nick ‘txt me wen ur up.’ Ugh his spelling is atrocious. She decided to wait before answering.

She wants to be at her best today so she takes her time getting ready. She finishes and heads back, replying to Nick on the way.

_*ping*_

‘Cewl, c u in a few.’ Wait what?

She rushes back and hurried to get ready. So much for her plan.

A knock at the door interrupts her as she is just about to finish brushing her fur. “Hey Carrots, could you open up?”

“Why are here this early?” She says as she opens the door.

“Breakfast.” He smiles as he holds up a takeaway bag.

“Aww, thank you Nick.” She moves aside to let him in. “How’d you know where I live?” He hands the food to her with a yawn. He needs to get used to waking up this early.

“I asked your Mom when they visited you the day before we were released.”

She looks at what he got her, it was a giant parfait. She pulls her attention away as Nick starts to speak.

“So I had a couple of things planned, but I wanted to show you around the city. You said that you never got the chance and I think that you could use that knowledge.”

Judy smiles wide “That sounds like a lot of fun!”

“I was thinking that since your going to spend most of your time in downtown that we can start here.”

“Sounds great, I can’t wait.”

“Well you have to, breakfast first.” She gives a mock pout.

Nick eats his own breakfast, but his attention is on Judy. The way she closes her eyes when she takes a bite of the fruit, the way her ears that stand tall quivers when trying the cold yogurt. The way her tail shakes when crunching down on granola and fruit. He finishes without actually tasting it, he honestly forgot what it was.

Judy feels his eyes on her. When she checks, she sees him with a small smile, half lidded eyes, his muzzle resting on his paw, and a lazy swish of his tail. She blushes, but is giddy that he looks at her like that.

He’s studying her, learning everything about her, committing everything to memory, and that makes her feel special.

When she finishes, he gets up and heads to the door “Time’s wastin, and we have a lot of ground to cover today.”

Before reaching the door Judy stops him with a hug “Thank you for breakfast.” She presses her muzzle to his chest

Is she? She is! Judy is marking him and his shirt.

A growl rips through his chest and out of his mouth. His eyes turn predatory and would’ve been familiar if Judy was paying attention, but she was focusing on something else. Nick was pressing her against the wall “Nick wha-” he covers her mouth with his. His instinct overrides his brain and he doesn’t fight it, instead he embraces it. He moves to mark her, to drench her in his scent. **Mine.**

Judy didn’t expect this to happen but she is loving this. He laps at her neck, she whimpers and tilts her head to grant him better access. His paws moves to the back of her neck and the small of her back to press her against him as he reattached himself to her lips. She is going to remember this tidbit for later.

She is dizzy when he stops. He pulls away, but not before nipping the base of her ear. That causes her to let out a small moan, which causes him to dive back in and to take his time.

A chain reaction. One he must stop if they’re going to get anything done. When he pulls away Judy lets out a whimpering plea and he has to fight himself to not dive in for thirds.

“Geez Carrots.” He has to catch his breath.

“I take it that you liked that, huh?”

He just nods and hopes that she didn’t notice the tent in his jeans. But it’s unlikely seeing as it’s nearly chest level for her.

She was expecting it to be bigger than a bucks, but.. it’s kinda scary how different canines are to lagomorphs.

Can something be scary in a good way?

Nick nose twitches

He began to walk to the door “Seriously we need to start going if we want to get to what I planned.”

She grabs her wrist, there is heat behind her eyes “Why don’t we stay a bit?” She starts to rub her paw through his clothed stomach.

“Sorry, but no.” He pulls away and tries to adjust himself so that it isn’t as noticeable.

Her ears fixate on him, her brow pinches, and a frown grows. “Why not?” His adverts his eyes.

He mumbles and she can’t hear him. He wasn’t actually saying anything. She waits and stares.

“Foxes Mate, they don’t rut.”

What? Her head tilts to show her confusion.

“Make outs and teasing is different than sex. As it is, we moved our relationship faster than most Foxes are comfortable with, I’m fine with that. However to Foxes, Mating is kinda important. Extremely so. So please don’t push it too far.” That was entirely true

“But you-” she doesn’t get to continue.

“Primitive Foxes didn’t live as long as we do now, so courting periods kinda stayed proportional.” That was entirely false. He can’t tell her that he had imprinted on her yet otherwise it may cause her to do or say something that she wouldn’t otherwise and he didn’t want anything to be forced. He wants their relationship to grow organically

There was something off. But Judy would respect what he wants.

When they exit the apartment, they move to his car. It’s a simple black sedan, he opens the passenger door for Judy when he freezes.

“Hi Nick. So this is why you can’t see us?”

Nicks’ hackles rise and he growls. “Kris. Agnes. What are you doing here?”


	9. The Date

From her seat, Judy sees two Gray Foxes, vixen and a todd, who sets Nick on edge.

“Well after you refuse to meet with us, we decided to see what was more important than family.” The todd speaks, and Judy focuses on his appearance.

He was tall, taller than Nick who is a whole head shorter. Which was weird because Red Foxes were the largest of the Fox species. His coat is off white, almost silver, and he has pale blue eyes. He dons a white short sleeve button up, tan cargo shorts, and yellow sneakers.

“You’re the only one that I’m actually related to.”

The vixen speaks up “That doesn’t change that we all care for each other.”

“You people only care about yourselves.” Nick barks out. His tail is really flared now, and it twitches in agitation. “The only reason I still tolerate talking to Kris is that he is still blood.”

“What about Kylie? Or Clive? Don’t you care about them?”

“Yeah well, Clive was the only one talked has to me or Mom since.” Nick snaps his teeth at the taller Fox, who she assumes is Kris.

“I apologize, however-”

“ **NO!** You don’t get to justify yourself! I waited for any one of you to reach out to us, no one did. Instead you all disappear from out lives. After all this time, I don’t want to see any of you.”

Nick gets in the car and drives off.

As he drives, Judy sends concerned glances toward him. His mood is significantly dampened.

“Who were they?”

His ears fold back. “That was my cousin and his Mate, Kristofferson and Agnes Silverfox.”

Most of the ride was quiet, at some point Nick had turned on the radio. When Nick pulls into a parking space, Judy looks around her as they get out.

“This area has no residential areas. Instead, it’s dedicated to businesses like restaurants, grocery stores, outdoor malls and whatever.” Nick gestures around.

There were stores that were for all sizes, and each level of a building got smaller and smaller, which are proportional to what species it caters to. Big mammals like elephants and hippos are on ground level, while rodents are at the top. There is a vast system of bridges and walkways that connect both side to the street. There are stores for what seems like anything.

Nick watches Judy with a smile, it’s like she is a tourist. But give him enough time, and she’ll know the city just as much as any native Zootopian.

They spend the day exploring the stores and just enjoying each other’s company. The bad mood that Nick was in had long since disappeared. Judys’ optimism and cheer is really infectious.

It’s refreshing to see the world through the rose tinted glasses that he had long since removed. Honestly, she was like a kit in a candy store. And he loved that she can experience that, he never could since he grew up around it.

“Excuse me?” Nick and Judy turn around to see a Mink sow and a Sand Cat tom approach them.

Judy responds first “Can we help you?”

“No, you already helped us. You two gave us the courage to go public with our relationship.”

Nick knows what they are talking about, but it seems that Judy doesn’t “We did?”

They look at each other like Judy just said that the sun was green. “Don’t you know?”

Judy tilts her head “Know what?”

The mink pulls out her phone “You two are an inspiration for all inter relationships.” She shows Judy an article that has their picture.

Judys’ ears turn red. She skims the article, and her ears turn red from embarrassment, to red from anger.

How dare they? To say things like that just because she isn’t dating another Rabbit is just horrible. She looks at Nick who struck up a conversation with the tom.

“Listen we have to go, but just know, that you are bringing an important topic to light. It’s been too long for this to be going on like this, things can’t stay like this. And you are spearheading the charge for change. Just remember that no matter how hard things get, you two have supporters. And most importantly, you have each other.” The mink waves the cat over and they leave with a goodbye.

As Nick and Judy continue their date, Judy hugs his arm and leans against him.

After their adventure through the shopping area of downtown, it’s around four pm. They bought enough snacks throughout the day to ward off their hunger, but they need actual food at some point.

They decided on a smokehouse that caters to both pred and prey.

Judy looks around at the cabin styled restaurant. The warm, soft lights keep the place lit, but dim enough for nocturnal, crepuscular, and diurnal mammals to all be comfortable.

The smells are mouthwatering. There wasn’t many others seeing as is not the dinner rush yet, so the duo didn’t need to wait before getting a booth.

Nick and Judy are currently questioning each other as they wait for their food.

“So is it true that Rabbit teeth never stop growing?”

“Yep, and not just Rabbits but most rodents too. We have to use wooden dowels called chew rods about twice a week to keep them short, if not we can cut up the inside of our mouths pretty badly. If they get too long, then a dentist will trim them to length. However that is rather uncomfortable, and could be painful if not done correctly.”

“So does that mean you never get cavities?”

Judy pouts “You can’t skip my turn.”

“How bout this? You get to ask two questions in a row.”

She makes a show of pondering his suggestion “Fine. We can get cavities, it actually hurts a lot when we do and have to grind them down. That is actually how most rabbit kits learn that brushing our teeth is still necessary. They don’t grind their teeth after getting cavities and end up needing them trimmed.”

She thinks for a moment “So what was with the reaction to me marking your shirt?”

Nick pauses for a moment “I need to know what marking means to a Rabbit before I can answer that.”

“Hey! You already asked two questions.”

“Then you get to ask three. But in order to answer your question, I really do need to know what it meant to you.”

“Well when Bunnies mark each other, the context matters. Parents can do it to their kits anytime, family members can mark each other but usually only littermates do because it’ll take too much time to mark every member of the family. If it’s between non family then that usually means that those mammals are courting.”

“Ok, but that doesn’t answer what I asked. I asked what it meant to you.”

Judy blushes “I read that Foxes find scent important and to let them mark you and your clothes.”

Nick snorts “You adorable nerd, did you do research on Foxes?” Judy swats his arm

“I wonder what you would look like with glasses.” When he licks his lips and stares at her, her ears turn red. At some point her ears would permanently look like Nick’s fur if she keeps blushing.

“Of course I did research on Fox relationships, I want this to work. Don’t you?”

His eyes soften, they look at her with a tenderness that melts her heart. And then he speaks “Of course, but I don’t need to do research.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I have a girlfriend who knows all things Bunny, so why would I go anywhere else to learn about Bunnies?” He leans in to give her a small kiss.

He pulls away after brief contact and continued answering her question “Ok so it’s a bit different for Foxes. Foxes mark family at anytime, not just parents, because our sense of smell helps us to find each other easily. Kinda like how Wolves at the ZPD track with a belonging that has the owners scent. However if a Fox does it to a Mate, then it’s a declaration of commitment. It’s kinda like the step before one takes after deciding that there is no one else, usually a proposal happens not long after.”

Judys’ blush was now atomic. Why didn’t the blogs that mentioned the scent marking say anything about the meaning of it? All they said that it’s important.

“You there Fluff?”

What was she doing? Oh yeah, questions. She still has two more, what should she use it for?

“Ok so, have you ever dated outside of your species before?”

“Yep.”

Judy stays quiet.

“I’m not going to say anything else. Don’t kiss and tell and all that. What about you?”

Judy shakes her head, her ears following the motion “I haven’t.”

The food arrive, Judy had gotten a salad with apple slices, roasted walnuts and cranberries. Nick got a maple smoked turkey burger with fries. They eat in a comfortable silence. One that comes with just enjoying each other’s presence.

Nick pays after they finish. “Let’s go to the Galleria, I want to show you the fountain show.”

Judy tilts her head “What’s that?”

“I don’t know what it’s actually called, but there is a giant water fountain that has those jets that shoot up water. It has lights in the water that changes color and is synced up to the radio, so it’s shoots water and lights up to whatever station is playing.”

Her eyes were wide with wonder and excitement “That sounds amazing!”

“It is, I used to come here with Mom and Dad all the time. They even let bands set up and play with the fountains in sync with them.”

“Have you seen any bands play?”

“Plenty, but all of them are local bands. So you wouldn’t recognize any of them, I don’t even think some of them are still around.”

When they get to the shopping center, it’s like nothing just has seen before. It has stores surrounding an open space that has a large fountain that is wider than most Pawlypic sized pools, though only has about a foot of water. Further off there are more paths to take and all of them are pedestrians only. There is stores of a kinds. Book stores, electronic stores, department stores, you name it, they probably have it. There are sections of grass where mammals can sit on the available lawn chairs, and surrounding that there is a brick road that travels along the storefronts and continues down around a corner. Judy even notices tracks for a tram that follow the road into the. There are restaurants on the top floor that have balcony seating overviewing the entire courtyard, and there kiosks for food and snacks to go. As it was evening, the lamps and string lights have turned on.

Nick watches Judy as she marvels at the spectacular view. Her eyes shine and her smile wide. He buys ice cream from the kiosk next to them.

He gestures toward the bench off the sidewalk as he hand her a cone.

“It’s going to be nine soon, so the fountain should start up soon.”

Nick watches the fountain, and the longer he stare, the more silent he becomes.

“The last time I was here, was the last time I saw Kris.”

“What happened between you and your cousin?”

All amusement drained from his demeanor, instead taking a somewhat downtrodden expression “That is quite the change in topic.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to answer.”

Nick is quiet. He questions if he should. “It’s not just Kris, it’s all of them. They disappeared after Mom was paralyzed. All because they got themselves in trouble and couldn’t show their muzzles anywhere near Zootopia. We called them family, and they called us family. They always spout out how family are supposed to take care of each other. Instead they leave Mom alone with a twelve year old and no job and no support.”

“And what did they get themselves into?”

“They tried to rob Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.”

Judy snickers “What kind of names are those?”

“The kind of names that belong to some of the most wealthy mammals in the world.”

Judys’ smile falters “C’mon, Kristofferson seemed like he couldn’t hurt a mouse.”

“Actually, you’d be surprised. He has a black belt in karate and has been into MMA for many years, he even won a couple of regional tournaments. I never got into it, despite Mom trying to get me interested for the longest time. Anyway, he didn’t actually take part of whatever they did. But they thought he did so he left with them.”

“So they evaded police and then what?”

“After Boggis, Bunce, and Bean went to the police, they started using their own means to chase after them. They each own large shares in a private security company, but they’re more like mercenaries. They were trying to kill them.”

Judy gasped. But now that Nick started to let it out, he couldn’t close the floodgates. He needed to get this off his chest and Judy was the one who opened those gates.

“We didn’t know the length that they would go to correct their embarrassment. Not until we received a package from them.” Nick was crying. Not noticeable except for the darkening of the fur by his eyes.

“What was in it?” Judy couldn’t help but ask.

“It was Dad’s tail.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had based the location loosely on the Glendale Galleria in California


	10. Digging Up The Past

The rest of the date didn’t feel them same. Every smile was forced, every laugh was strained, and it took effort to try and start any conversation. So it didn’t take long until they (Nick) decided that they had enough fun for one day. They car ride was better as the radio kept the silence to a minimum.

And then the questions started.

“No.”

“Well if you could-”

“I said no, Carrots”

Judy had been trying to convince Nick to come forward and to involve the ZPD with the incident. But he refuses.

Nick doesn’t believe that it would be taken seriously. Not only does he not have any evidence to suggest even a remote involvement, but Boggis, Bunce, and Bean have all been shining examples of all citizens should be.

However, once being a criminal himself (no matter how low on the totem pole he actually was), Nick knew better than anyone else that a public persona could hide so much that anyone could be fooled.

He knew that those three, while not crime bosses like Mr. Big, are just as dangerous.

Judy has been quite upset since he revealed that tidbit of his past. Not that him sharing is a bad thing, in fact, she is thrilled that he is comfortable enough to share painful memories with her. What is upsetting is what they are about.

Why was his adolescence full of strife and pain? She tried to get Nick to go to the police, so that way, she can take an active and legal role in trying to resolve this skeleton in Nicks’ closet.

How dare they do this to her Mate! Judy can almost growl as if it were natural for her to do so. Her Mate is the kindest, most caring-

Wait. Why is she referring to Nick as her Mate?

Technically, that is what they are. They had Mated (not that she could remember) and they still are together.

Judy has a warm tingling in her chest as she continues to refer to him as her Mate. It’s really confusing for her to go from lovey-dovey to barely contained rage, to lovey-dovey again. It just feels like that’s not normal. But then again, she never felt this way toward anyone other than Nick.

Judy hasn’t said anything. What is going is going through her head? His eyes flick from the road to the Bunny next to him.

When Nick pulls up to her apartment, he walks her to her door just to spend a little more time with her. No matter what mood he’s in, he prefers to be in her company. But eventually Judys’ room is in sight

“This is me.” They stop outside her door. Neither wants the other to go.

“I had a lot of fun today-” Judys’ tail wiggles in happiness “- so hopefully you aren’t sick of me yet, ‘cuz I have other ideas of what we can do.”

Judy grabs his tie to bring him to her level, and she kisses him “I can’t wait”

She giggles as she sees his tail wag.

“Good night, slick.”

“Night, fluff.”

When she closes the door behind her, Nick lingers for a moment before heading back. He’s glad that his retelling of past events hadn’t ruined the rest of the date.

It came pretty close though.

There’s something about his Rabbit that just causes him to let down the carefully constructed defenses that he developed over years of living as a Fox that embodied the stereotype that they’re untrustworthy and thieves. She didn’t see him like that, she expected more from him. And he will try his damnedest to meet her expectations. He didn’t want to be a lost cause. He wanted to be someone that she would be proud to call her Mate.

So he decided that he will join the academy and be her partner so that he can protect her at all times like a good Mate. But in order to do that, he needs to clear some things up.

There are things that he hasn’t told Judy about. When she threatened him with tax evasion, he really wasn’t worried. He actually did pay taxes, although not as much as what he needed to. Since they couldn’t prove that he had been working, they couldn’t prove how much he earned. But his car, his condo, and the fact that he provided for himself does prove that he does have income from.. _somewhere._ So he did file some of his taxes. Although it’s not under the name Nicholas Piberius Wilde because that is not his original name, it’s Jason Francisco Fox. And since Wilde didn’t exist until later when he couldn’t use the name Fox anymore, he and his Mother had to use a new identity that his _extended family_ had set up for situations like that. He didn’t tell Judy how infamous they actually were, and how much they stole over the years.

They didn’t steal from everyone. They envisioned themselves as a modern day Robin Hood, except they stole from the corrupt and gave to themselves as well as the poor.

But with what he had in mind, required Nicholas Wilde to be a bit more real. So now, he had things to do.

…

Judy had things to do as well.

At this moment, she is reading up on the three mammals known as Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce, and Franklin Bean.

Walter Boggis is a chicken farmer. Things she found included horrible practices that involve extreme overcrowding and bad treatment for the animals. He is a massive Brown Bear, but not massive in the muscular way.

Judy is surprised that he can even stand.

Nathan Bunce is a duck and goose farmer. He owns a facility that is more akin to a reserve than a farm, and there are no negative light on him in the way of business. But he has a reputation of being extremely prejudiced toward prey species and some predators like Rats, Weasels, and Foxes. She already disliked him. He is a Wolverine that was short even for his species, about Judys’ height, and apparently had a bit of a complex in regards to that.

Franklin Bean was a Cheetah that owned a turkey farm and apple orchards that produced juice and cider, alcoholic and nonalcoholic. He was a different can of worms altogether. He was nasty to anyone who he doesn’t do business with and even then, he barely tolerated them, the only mammals he showed respect to was Walter and Nathan. He even has multiple assault charges that never stuck, all the victims had dropped charges long before a verdict was declared.

Judy feels that they give farmers a bad name.

What to do next is harder to figure out, but she’ll think of something.

…

The morning sees Nick up early again, and this time he is going to do something that he absolutely doesn’t want to do.

He is going to see the mammal that can help him with what he needs, and the mammal that is part of the family. He really needs to come up with a name for them other than ‘the family’.

He is going to see Clive Badger.

Clive was one of his Dads’ closest friends, and was Nicks’ favorite from the group. He was a lawyer who, with two others, owned a law firm named “Badger, Beaver, & Beaver”. Nick actually spent his summers between school interning at the firm. Clive saw that Nick had a natural silver tongue and could talk circles around others.

So Clive took Nick as an apprentice of sorts which ended sometime after everyone disappeared. A few of them couldn’t disappear like Clive himself as he was in a position with many eyes on him. It helped that he was helping in the background and not in the field.

Nick knew that Clive was in touch with them and when he confronted the badger, he admitted it. But he wouldn’t tell him anything.

Nick prepares himself as he heads to the firm located in Meadowlands. He calls the office and asks if Clive Badger was in. Once he got confirmation, he hung up.

As he pulls up and parks in the lot behind the firm, he looks at the building that holds so many memories.

He remembered that Clive loved dad jokes. He remembered that Clive always had good advice, said that he learned from his mistakes and told other how to avoid those mistakes. He cared for Nick as his own. He…

He can’t do this.

A ringtone cuts through the silence of the car.

“Good morning Slick.”

“Mornin’ Carrots, what gives me the pleasure of hearing your voice this early?” He can’t see it, but he’s sure that her tail is flicking right now.

“Can’t I just talk to my M-boyfriend when I want?”

“Now I know that you want something.”

“Oh really? And what are those motives?”

“Well one, I’m going to call every morning, and those calls are going to get earlier and earlier until you wake up at the same time as you would have to at the academy.”

“Does that mean your going to give me an edge for show up the other cadets?”

“Nope. Your going to do this to prove to yourself and others that you have what it takes to be a Officer.”

His heart warms at her words.

“And two,” she drops her voice to a husky tone “I don’t need a reason to hear my _boyfriend’s_ voice.”

He couldn’t stop the shiver that runs though his spine. “And what do you want to hear? Do you want to hear how _sexy_ I find it when you talk like that?” He can practically see her shiver. “Well that will have to wait ‘cuz I need to do something right now.”

When he hears her pout, he busts out laughing. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you after I’m done. And if you want, I can go over and whisper whatever you want into your ear.”

“You big tease!” She giggles but he can tell how flustered she is, and he loves that he can do that to her.

“You know you love it.”

“I would love it more if it wasn’t a tease.”

She doesn’t know what she does to him. He lets loose a low growl “It’s a promise then.” He wishes he can see her reaction at that moment.

“I’ll hold you to that. I’m going to let you go now.”

“Don’t be sad, you don’t need to wait too long until you hear my _heavenly_ voice again.”

He really loves her laugh “Bye Nick”

“Talk to you later.”

Right, he needs to do this.

He gets out and heads to the building before his determination fades.

The Gopher that was Clive’s secretary is no longer there. Instead there was a Weasel sow that sat in the front.

He walks past her and he displays absolute confidence. She doesn’t stop him.

Works every time. No one questions you if you look like you have a mission to accomplish.

Nick stands in front of the door. And through the acrylic window, he sees Clive focused on the paperwork on his desk. He hesitates opening the door.

For Judy.

He knocks.

He sees Clive wave him in without looking “Come in.”

Nick walks up and stands in front of the Badger.

“Hey Clive.” He has some satisfaction in seeing him drop his pen and snap his head up to look at the fox. “Long Time no see.”

He sees the aged Badgers’ eyes start to water up, and a smile grow on him “It has, hasn’t it?”


	11. Corrections

Nick walks into his home, and sees his Mate relaxing on their couch which faced away from the door. She didn’t turn but the snap to attention of her ears told him that she knew he was home. He walk behind her and wraps her in his arms, his distinct musk begins to envelope her. She leans into him as he buries his nose in her neck, scenting her.

Nick knew her scent and he would bet that he could find his Bunny in a group of her entire family. His nosing turns into grooming and nipping.

She loved it when he did this. Her neck was rather sensitive, and the feeling of sharp teeth scraping against her skin underneath the fur causes shivers to travel up her spine.

He then speaks softly into her ear “You taking it easy?”

He reaches lower and places his paws on her distended belly, careful and light in his touches.

She loves when he does that. It was times like these that made her wonder what kind of father to their kits he would be.

“I can barely get up, so what do you think?” Sarcasm is dripping from her words.

“So is that a yes?” He continues grooming her between speaking.

She closes her eyes and focused on the feeling of his tongue by her ears “Yes, I’ve been taking it easy.”

He lets out a pleased rumble and lightly gnaws on the base of her long ears “I take it that you have some pent up energy then.” One of his paws lowers and lightly rubs and caresses the inside of her thigh.

Judy can’t hold in her squeaks and chirrs.

He says something but she cannot hear “I didn’t hear you.”

His mouth moves and she can feel his breathe on her fur but she still can’t catch what he is saying.

Her vision brightens to white and she is back in her apartment bedroom. She feels a slickness, smells her pheromones, and recognizes the burning fire in her stomach.

Judy immediately knew that she is in heat. Her body now recognizes that she has a Mate and decided now was a good time to go into heat. A downside to being able to go into heat by choice means that it’s kinda mandatory to go into heat more often than other mammals because of the rate her body produces hormones means that sometimes it needs to be released. Like a bucket that is full needs to be dumped to put more water in.

She checks the time on her phone. And she looks at her wallpaper. It was a selfie of her and Nick, he is hugging her from behind and had his arms wrapped around her waist. His snout lay on her head, between her ears.

The time read six fifty six am. He’s probably asleep but she needs to hear is voice. Judy opens up her phone and goes to his contact.

It doesn’t ring for long. When she hears the call being answered, she speaks up “Good morning Slick.”

“Mornin’ Carrots, what gives me the pleasure of hearing your voice this early?” Her tail is flicking, her mind drifts off to her dream when he speaks into her ear as he-

Focus!

“Can’t I just talk to my M-boyfriend when I want?” She almost called him her Mate. She had no problem calling him that, but she didn’t know how he would take it this early in their relationship.

“Now I know that you want something.”

She giggles as he makes himself sound so self assured, his laughs carries just a bit of base. Kinda like the base from his growls that-

Think about his growls later.

“Actually, I did have ulterior motives with this call.”

“Oh really? And what are those motives?” To see if she can get off on his voice alone.

She quickly needs to think of something else to say “Well one, I’m going to call every morning, and those calls are going to get earlier and earlier until you wake up at the same time as you would have to at the academy.”

“Does that mean your going to give me an edge for show up the other cadets?”

“Nope. Your going to do this to prove to yourself and others that you have what it takes to be a Officer.”

“And two,” she drops her voice to a husky tone “I don’t need a reason to hear my _boyfriend’s_ voice.”

“And what do you want to hear? Do you want to hear how _sexy_ I find it when you talk like that?” She feeling herself shudder and her body responds his voice “Well that will have to wait ‘cuz I need to do something right now.”

Judy is not happy and she pouts with a little ‘hmph’, and she hears his hearty laughter. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you after I’m done. And if you want, I can go over and whisper whatever you want into your ear.”

“You big tease!” She giggles

“You know you love it.”

“I would love it more if it wasn’t a tease.” She really, _really_ would _._

When he lets loose a low growl, Judy feels herself soaking through her underwear “It’s a promise then.”

“I’ll hold you to that. I’m going to let you go now.”

“Don’t be sad, you don’t need to wait too long until you hear my _heavenly_ voice again.”

“Bye Nick” she really wants to talk to him longer but he could always stop by later.

“Talk to you later.”

He doesn’t know what he does to her.

She needs to get ready, today is her first day back on the force, albeit on light duty. She doesn’t go in at the normal time either, she clocks in at eight and goes straight to parking duty and the joke mobile.

To get to the precinct is a short bus ride away. She had paid the fare and sat down by the time she noticed the eyes that were on her.

She looks around and sees different mammals staring at her. Eyes that are full of disgust and disbelief. Judy tries to ignore it as she follows Nick’s mantra. Whatever the problem is, unless they ask for help, it’s not her business. Still, it’s unnerving to be stared at like that.

She picks up one of the passengers muttering “Stupid bunny, doesn’t she know that Foxes aren’t to be trusted?”

Ah, so that’s what it’s about.

She just needs to ignore it.

“Disgusting.”

“Unnatural.”

“Wrong”

“Predo.”

“Is he forcing her?”

“Delinquent behavior.”

“What kind of example does she think she is setting?”

It’s so hard to ignore it. Why do they think that they have a say in her life?

She didn’t notice that what they said was normally outside of earshot.

It’s almost eight when the bus pulls up across the street of Precinct One, and she sees that most of the officers have already left as the others had started at six. She doesn’t start for a few minutes and decides that now is a good time to get reacquainted with Ben.

The portly cheetah was a dispatcher, but he was far from the only one. He just was the only one on the front desk.

She sees him munching on some snack, she can’t tell from here as the desk is too tall. But judging by his squeal, he can see her, if only just the tips of her ears.

“Judy! I haven’t seen you in ages! I thought that we wouldn’t see each other again, and I was so sad. You said that being a cop was your dream and then you just quit and then I haven’t heard from you in like forever. I thought that you didn’t want to talk to me anymore and I was sooo sad and then I realized that you were probably just depressed so I thought about sending a gift basket to show that you were missed here and then I see you on the news with that Fox an- THAT FOX!! You got yourself a foxy boyfriend since I last saw you. I need _all_ the deets.”

When first hanging out with Ben, she quickly found out that he is a talker. It didn’t faze her as she had plenty of siblings who were the same.

“Yes, he’s very foxy.” Just how foxy has yet to be seen (or at least remembered).

“I knew that already, give me deets that I don’t know.”

“So where do I start? Ok, so-” she notices that it just turned eight “sorry Ben but I need to go now, I’ll tell you later.”

“Nnooo, you can’t do that. You can’t start and not finish.”

“I said sorry, I’ll tell you later” Judy calls over her shoulder as he head over to get the traffic vest and the keys to the golf cart.

The day goes by slowly, but she finishes her quota before the day is over. Should she call it in early? She checks her phone.

No new messages or missed calls.

Should she be upset that he hadn’t messaged her? or should she be grateful that he isn’t distracting her during work hours?

Well she’s not busy now. And she finished early, she could-

An approaching mammal stops her train of thought.

That mammal is Agnes Silverpaw. “You look different in uniform.”

“Uhm… thanks? I think.” Judys’ eyes quickly scan her surroundings.

Is anyone approaching behind her? Does someone feel off? Is there anything that seems like a weapon in her clothes? Is-

“You can relax. I’m not going to do anything.”

Like anyone would, just because you say so.

“I wanna talk about Nick.”

“I don’t think that he-”

“Is he happy?” That threw Judy for a loop.

“I hope so.” She answered honestly.

“We really miss him.”

“If you think-”

“I don’t care if you tell him this or not.” She really needs to stop interrupting her. “I just want to know how he’s been. It’s been so long since he talked to us. At least in a friendly way.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Not if you don’t want to.”

Judy eyes the Fox with caution. What is she up to?

“What **do** you want then?”

“Tell me about Nick. How has he been doing? What has he been doing? How did the two of you start dating?” She stops to wipe her eyes of the tears that threaten to fall and she sniffles “We all just want to be a part of his life again.”

Judy watches as the vixen begins to break down, and is reminded of her own situation not too long ago. She remembers when she herself had been crying, wanting nothing more than to be back with the todd that she had fallen hopelessly in love with.

She makes a decision.

…

Nick leaves Clive’s office. He had been really helpful. This time next week, there will be no way of connecting Nicolas with Jason.

He also took care of anything that could cause him trouble in the foreseeable future. Like his taxes, lack of a high school diploma, etc..

He thinks of Judy. Nothing will get in the way of the two of them. He won’t let it. She will have enough grief just because she chose him, a Fox, over literally any buck.

He doesn’t want his problems to become her problems.

Would it be clingy if he asks if she wants to have lunch with him so soon after a date?

He stops and notices how late it actually was. Not quite late enough for dinner though, but he didn’t eat lunch.

She’s probably not hungry right now. He’ll just see if she wants to eat lunch with him tomorrow, or maybe dinner. He ponders this as he heads to a fast food joint nearby. He doesn’t want to cook.

He orders and sits down to wait for his food.

He smells all the food around him and he recoils at the amount of grease that he smells. That can’t be healthy. He smells the strawberry and chocolate of the shakes that some mammals are drinking and the fruits of smoothies. He also smells the distinct scent of each of the different mammals that are present and can separate one from the rest.

“Order thirty two!” He gets up and grabs his food.

As he leaves the restaurant, he is bombarded with different scents of the surrounding area, both good and bad. It catches him off guard and he has to steady himself otherwise he won’t be able stand.

That’s not normal.

He is distracted from his current thoughts by a familiar smell. He looks around for the source and when he can’t find it, he follows it.

The scent is getting stronger, and when he is certain that it’s nearby, he catches another scent.

His hackles raise and he bears his teeth.

He rounds a corner and sees them.

Judy and Agnes. And his Mate looks really upset while Agnis speaks.

He needs to do something.


	12. Confrontations

Clive Badger couldn’t believe how is morning started off, Nick had showed up in his office and asked him to do some things that were easy enough but it would take time. This morning was great and he smiles as he recalls what happened

He couldn’t take it anymore and reaches over and pulls Nick into a hug and squeezes with a grip that is powered by years of separation and grief.

Nick freezes when the badger had grabbed him. And when he realized that Clive was hugging him, he relaxed. Clive let go only to pull on his ear. Hard.

“You ungrateful little shit! Do you know how much my fur has grayed because of you?” Clive snarls

“GODDAMMIT you old geezer! Let go!”

“I will once you learn respect! I tried to teach you manners, but it seems like you forgot them. I’ll knock them back into your head!”

“OW! Stop it!”

It went on like this for the better part of the morning and afternoon. He and Nick has went over the reason for his visit, and got his business over with.

When all was said and done Clive broke out the liquor, Nick couldn’t tell what it was other than old and probably very expensive.

“I’m good. I haven’t touched the stuff in years.” The todd shook his head

“Then you have more willpower than me.”

They are quiet. What now? It’s not like they can talk about the whack-bat game.

“Clive.. I’m sorry for leaving like that. I’m just like them, I just disappeared and never contacted you. I was so upset and after you admitted that you knew where they were and was in contact with them, I couldn’t deal with it and took my grief out on you.”

Clive sighs, his posture drops and his ears fold “That was something that no one should go through, let alone a kit. I hid it from you because they asked me to, said no one can know.”

“It doesn’t matter if your talking to them anymore. I just miss you. You took me in like your own after Dad died and I want to talk to you again.”

He smiles wide “If you want, you could have dinner at my home on Friday. The missus and I would love to have you over, and we can catch up.”

“I would love that.”

They talk while Clive works, mostly Nick talks while Clive listens.

“And I remember when Flash first got the Animal. He needed to get everything specialized for Sloths, and he ended up falling in love with racing so much so that he ended up betting his car against others in drag races. I remember the first race I watched was against someone who had this really nice ’71 Super Bee, and Flash took off so fast that by the time he crossed over the finish line, he was over a hundred yards ahead. The bull had tried to back out but everyone witnessed the deal so he had no choice but to hand him the pink slip.”

“And then, Finn bumps into this Rat. Huge buck, I think he was a Gambian or something, anyway, when he bumps into the Rat, he spills his drink and he gets pissed. He pulls out a switchblade and takes a swig at Finn. I shit you not, Fin grabs a pool cue from a Goat and breaks it over the buck’s head.”

When Nick left, there was a peace that washed over Clive. The others would love to hear about Nick’s adventures.

…

Agnes stops talking. A shot of fear travels through her, her instincts scream out in warning. And then she hears his growls. It promises pain.

She turns her head around and sees him.

She sees Nick, who had his tail puffed, teeth bared, hackles raised, and his eyes are _dilated_. The eyes of a feral animal watch her like he was hunting prey

He radiates danger and her knees wobble.

Is she going to die?

“Nick, what are you doing here?”

His eyes are normal and he turns his attention to his Mate. When a Mate calls, you answer.

Agnes doesn’t know if what she saw was real, or her fear made it up. But one thing is clear, Nick is not happy right now.

“Is she bothering you?” His eyes are back on the vixen.

“No, she’s not. And why are you here?”

“I was getting a late lunch when I noticed you.” He holds out his takeout bag.

She did want to see him again, but this is ridiculous. Like right as she thinks about him, he shows up. If only it would be at a _different_ time.

Not now.

Nick tries to relax himself. She said that she wasn’t bothering her, so he needs to believe her.

His ear flicks in annoyance as he narrows his eyes at the vixen. Ignore her.

He looks at Judy and sees her in her uniform. He never really noticed how _formfitting_ the leggings were.

Control yourself!

“Have you eaten?” Best to switch topics.

“No”

“Well we cant have the super cop run outta fuel now can we? C’mon, I know this great place nearby that is to die for.” He shakes the bag in his paw.

Judy sees how Agnes’ ears fold and her tail drop. She bites her lip and thinks.

“Have you eaten?” The question surprises both the todd and the vixen.

Agnes hesitates before answering “No I haven’t. I was going to get groceries to make dinner, but I saw you and I wanted to speak to you.”

“How ‘bout you join us?”

“What?”

“What!”

Nick and Agnes speak at the same time. They turn to each other and lock eyes. Nick breaks away to shake his head.

“No! Why would you even ask her?”

“Because I think that it’s not healthy for you to hold onto this anger. It’s going to eat away at you.”

Agnes stares at the Bunny. She was not expecting that. The most that she would hope for is that Judy offers to talk to Nick. But nothing like this has ever crossed her mind.

“Please Nick, you don’t even need to say anything to her.”

Nick huffs and crosses his arms.

Her ears drop, eyes widen, and her nose trembles.

“It’s not fair that you can do that. Why are you so adorable?”

Judy is glad that her ears are already down to hide the blush. She stomps her foot and whines “Nniicckkk, you can’t say that!”

He grins and his ears perk up. His tail isn’t drooping anymore and it begins to wag. “Actually, I think I can.”

Before she realized it, he leans down and kisses her nose.

She can’t help but smile and perk her own ears “So lets go eat, I’m starving!”

Nick deflates again. Right. That’s what they were talking about.

Judy walks to Agnes “C’mon, Nick knows a place.”

“Hey!”

And like that, Nick finds himself in a booth at the same restaurant that he just left. He wound up saving seats for Judy and Agnes while they wait in line to order.

_Uggh!_ Does that Yak even know what a bath is?

Judy and Agnes walk up to the booth and Judy notices that Nick is pawing at his nose, like something is bothering it. Nick gets up to let her in the inside seat, Agnes takes the opposite side of the booth.

When he doesn’t stop, Judy questions it “Something bothering you?”

Nick grimaces “Other than the obvious?” Nick’s eyes flick to Agnes and she flinches “A Yak just pasted by and I swear, it’s like all of them never bathe, he even had flies following him.”

Judy wrinkles her nose.

“So they still have you driving the clown car?” Nick gestures to the vest.

“Yes, it was either that or records.”

“Wow, you turned down a promotion.”

“Please, I would rather be a meter maid than a desk jockey.”

The booth slides into an uneasy silence.

Agnes is about to say something and Nick gets ups “I’m going to the little Foxes room, be back in a bit.”

She sighs as he leaves.

Judy drums her paw on the table, a frown shows her disappointment. But what was she thinking? That he would forget that she was one of the mammals that abandoned him and try to be friends?

“Order twelve!”

Agnes gets up to get their food, and Nick appears at the booth at the same time, and waits in silence as she gets their food.

“Can’t you listen to her?”

“You said that I don’t have to talk to her, so if I’m not gunna talk to her why would I listen? It’s not like I need to know what she is talking about if I am not including her in a conversation.”

Judy can stare down a mammal with the best of ‘em A.K.A. her Mother who had practice with multiple litters. Nick turns his gaze away from Judy but he can still feel her gaze burning holes though him.

He ignores it. She may stare at him all she wants, he had plenty of practice with being glared at worse than that.

Agnes comes back and she notices the tension.

They eat in silence until Judy gets an idea, she turns her attention to the vixen “What do you do for work?”

“I used to work as a flight attendant. I spent about ten years on planes and went to many places around the world.”

Judy’s eyes shine “Wow! Did you spend time somewhere after a flight?”

“Uh-huh, we had to in order to sleep and eat. We usually spend a couple hours or even a day depending on how long the flight was. It was great seeing different cultures and how different mammals are.”

“Well if you liked it so much, how come you aren’t working there now?”

“Because I didn’t spend much time at home, and I missed being here.”

“You still call this place home? I thought that you would’ve found somewhere else, somewhere far from here.”

“Nick!”

“What you wanted me to talk to her, right?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“What do you mean? I’m speaking, and you understand right? Isn’t that how you talk?”

“But that’s not how to have a conversation!”

“But I never agreed to conversate with her now did I?”

Judy goes to retort when he cuts her off “In fact, I never agreed to anything. I just came here with you to stop her from trying anything.”

Agnes couldn’t stay quiet, that last bit hurt “You know that I would never do something to Judy.”

“Actually, I don’t. I don’t know what kind of mammal you have become.”

Any fight in her was snuffed out.

Nick looks in between her and Judy, who was peeved at his disrespect and rude behavior. He then notice that it’s unusually quiet for a restaurant.

They’re all looking at them. The patrons, the workers, and all mammals who are in earshot.

Nick places his paw over Judy’s. “I’m gunna go, talk to you tomorrow?” He doesn’t wait for an answer before he kisses her cheek, gets up, and leaves. His bag of food laid forgotten.

He just left!

Judy doesn’t know whether to be sad that he left or angry that he left. So she decided a little of both. A sad angry combo.

Judy eyes the door with longing. No matter how much anger she feels, she would always feel better if he was with her. He could always cheer her up.

“I think I’ve done enough.”

Judy looks toward the vixen across from her. Agnes is the picture of guilt and depression.

“I thought that he be more open to you if we just relaxed and got some food in us.”

Judy notices that the others are still looking “Do you mind!”

Like a movie that’s been unpaused, the restaurant comes to life. But all of them keep their ears fixated on them.

Judy reaches into her pocket and pulls out her carrot pen and grabs a napkin “Here, just in case you need something or just to talk.” Judy writes down her number and gives it to Agnes.

“He won’t be getting off the hook that easily.” Judy gets up and is about to leave too but stops “Don’t hesitate to call or text.”

Judy leaves to find Nick and give him hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda got stuck at the restaurant part, that and I found some good fanfics that I wanted to finish reading. Any references that you guys want, I’ll try and work them in if I could.


	13. Chronic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit content

As Nick walks, he displays his agitation in different ways that he doesn’t notice. His ears are folded, his tail twitches, his brows are pinched, and he growls quietly, almost inaudible.

But the other mammals notice. They feel his presence and move out of the way. Their eyes follow the Fox as he moves, sensing that he is dangerous.

He dips around a corner between two stores and waits. Twenty or so seconds pass and he sees Judy pass by, no doubt looking for him. Wait ten more seconds and he reemerges onto the street and looks back toward where he and Judy had came from and watches the entrance of the restaurant.

Waiting. Watching.

He spots Agnes as she exits some time later, she probably finished her food before leaving.

He follows her.

Quietly, as to not alert his target.

Dropping to all fours, he was swift and efficient, no step wasted. Eyes analyze the surroundings, staying out of sight of anything or anyone.

He begins the stalk.

He follows her unnoticed for some time, must be fifteen minutes or so until she wanders into a secluded area. No living thing nearby as far as he could tell, he takes deep breath through his nose to search for any fresh scent other than hers.

Nothing.

His phone vibrates in his pocket. He ignores it and the message goes unseen.

His growl raises in volume and he steps into the open.

Agnes heard the growl and freezes. Her tail drops down between her legs and she hunched over, ears fold and she lets out a whine involuntarily. The growls come from behind her and she feels her her blood drains from her face. She didn’t hear any pawsteps.

“I don’t know where you get the nerve.”

It’s Nick!

She begins to turn her head when the growls increase in intensity and a wave of dread courses through her.

“What do you want! Why do you insist on following me and my Mate?!”

“I told you, we ju-”

Nick snarls “NO LIES!”

“I-I-I’m n-not lying.” Agnes manages to stutter out.

Lies! Lies! Lies! Lies! LIES!! LIES!! LIES!! **LIES!!!**

His rage is barely contained, he bares his teeth, he snarls and growls, his eyes are dilated and he sees red. He can barely hold himself back from attacking the threat that is in front of him.

He sees a danger to his Mate and himself. She will bring unwanted attention to them. She will bring them ruin, and it’s not just her. It’s her, Kris, Kylie, and everyone else who will bring them back.

She is still facing away from him. But her eyes look over her shoulder and is staring at him with wide eyes. And is terrified by what she sees.

She sees a savage.

He fights to stand up on two paws. He growls and locks eyes with her. She immediately looks away, afraid that he will take it as a challenge.

“I don’t care where you go, or what you do. But I never want to hear from you again. Not you or any of the others. I will not tell you again.” Agnes looks back at where he was and sighs.

He’s gone.

She tries to move, but her knees give out and she falls. She feels a dampness in her pants.

She wet herself.

She leans her head back and lets out a stuttering breath. She can’t do this anymore, he won’t hear her out and she can’t face him again.

She sobs as she falls to the floor. She feel like she just escaped death and it took years off her lifespan instead.

Nick hides and is slumped against a wall. What’s going on? He can’t hold himself together and lets out a choked cry.

His mind is a mess and he can’t think straight. He’s confused and his senses are being overloaded. He smells too much, he hears too much, it’s too bright and his eyes hurt.

His phone vibrates. Another message.

He can’t keep his eyes open, they’re just so heavy and it’s really bright. They might feel better if he just closed them real quick. He blinks, quick to close and slow to open, but he doesn’t care. He closes his eyes again but this time when his eyes open, it’s dark out.

What was he doing? He doesn’t know, but right now he needs to get to his den. He can’t stay out right now, and he needs to find his Mate.

…

Judy is well beyond mad. She fuming, ballistic, any other fitting word. Seven messages and five hour later. Still no word from him. She kept giving out parking ticket as an excuse to search for Nick, when she couldn’t find him, she went back to the precinct to clock out then headed home about an hour ago and was now walking in the building.

Her teeth grind in annoyance. All this stress is giving her a headache. Her ears show her agitation as they are pointing backwards, and she mutters under her breath when her vision starts to blur.

She stops and shakes her head. She has to place her paw on the wall to stop herself from falling.

Okay, she really needs to get inside the apartment now.

As she heads toward the stairs, she stumbles over her own feet. She sways back and forth, her spinning vision is the least of her problems. Her mind is foggy and the sounds around her are overwhelming. Her headache is absolutely horrible.

When she finally makes it to her door, she can’t get the key in the lock. Her paw is shaking and she gets frustrated with herself.

She eventually gets in and she makes her way to the bedroom. She strips down to her underwear and flops down onto her bed and her eyes droop. Today must’ve taken a bigger toll on her than she thought. She mind fades to white as she allows herself to sleep. She’ll feel better after catching some Z’s.

She didn’t close her door all the way.

…

Nick knows this place. He doesn’t remember how he knows this place, or when he was last here. But he knows that he needs to go this way.

It’s dark out right now, so he can move without being seen.

There.

His nose catches her scent.

**Follow it.**

He looks around, and sees that there is no animal in sight. Darting through an open door, he follows her scent.

As he climbs a narrow passageway, he catches the scent of two mammals, then he catches the noise they’re making. He scrambles for a hiding place and sits himself behind the wall where they are coming from.

As they pass, they seem to bicker with each other, which is odd considering that they’re herd animals. They’re oblivious to his presence and he wants to keep it that way.

They disappear from sight and he waits a bit before he is comfortable enough to continue moving.

He’s close.

He slows down and he searches. The scent is getting stronger.

There.

He noses his way through the slim opening heads toward the source of the scent. It’s a bit different than what he remembered, kinda earthy and a lot sweeter, but it’s definitely her’s

He finds her sleeping, but it’s not resting. She shifts, she twists, and she turns.

He hops up next to her and whines. He begins to groom her, licking along her neck, back of her head, and her ears. She tastes different, it’s kinda addictive, he can’t get enough. His Mate calms into a peaceful slumber and he lies next to her, wrapping himself around her and covers the both of them with his tail.

He’ll protect her not only from physical threats, and from the mental ones as well.

He grooms her as she sleeps. She chirrs and presses against him. His chest swells with pride as his Mate finds comfort in him.

He is full of energy, and he can’t tell why. Maybe it’s because he slept not too long ago. It doesn’t matter, because he is going to stay awake and watch over her while she slumbered.

It’s almost dusk when Judy wakes. She struggles to open her eyes, why is she waking so early? She feels her nest shift, and realizes that her Mate is curled around her. His eyes are closed but he is clearly awake, his ears shift to and fro, searching for anything that might disturb them. How long has he been awake?

She stretches and yawns, her eyes fixated on the todd in her nest, roaming his physique.

Strong and lithe.

Such a fine male.

The warmth in her navel is growing and her scent spikes. It’ll be best if she stays with her Mate, he can relieve her heat. Judy releases more pheromones in preparation.

She licks his throat and underside of his muzzle, and tension in his body dissipates. His tail slowly wags as she grooms him and they exchange their scents. He curls up tighter and nuzzles his doe, keeping her close to him just to feel her heartbeat, to listen to her breathing. His rumbles grows as his contentment grows.

His nose catches her scent spike and recognizes the changes to her scent now that he is in the immediate vicinity of the source.

It’s the scent of her heat.

He begins to nip her ears and neck, marks and nudges her. The tip of his member pokes through his sheathe when he noticed that he has the things on again.

No.. not things.. Clothes.

Don’t rip them.

He carefully kicks and pulls at them. It takes longer than he likes but he manages to remove them without damage. Judy has no such restraint, instead, she ripped right through her own clothes in her excitement.

She just wants her Mate to mount her, and her body is responding to those desires. It’s driving the two of them into a frenzy. Judy’s scent is enticing Nick which causes him to nip and nuzzle her, which causes Judy to get excited, restarting the cycle.

She rolls from her side onto her stomach and raises her hips. Her tail sticks up and shakes in anticipation.

He watches her, her behind is in his view and it’s leaking her excitement. He presses his nose against her slit and breathes in deep, it’s strong odor is inviting and he cannot resist. He licks from her nub to the base of her tail.

Judy shudders as he does this repeatedly. She is unbearably warm, she pants as she feels his tongue lap at her folds and presses back into it as it’s the only thing that will give her relief. She squeaks out in surprise as the wet appendage slithers it’s way into her.

Nick leaves nothing unattended. He was thorough and relentless. When he found a spot that made his mate spasm, he focused his efforts on it. She’s getting wetter but it doesn’t help when she’s also getting tighter. It’s a vice that grips his tongue with an incredible amount of pressure, it gets to the point where his tongue is starting to get numb.

He withdraws his tongue and begins to lap at her labia again. His tongue is wide enough to cover everything with a single pass. Her lips are puffy and red, a sight which is normally viewed as obscene is only natural.

His mate is very vocal with her appreciation of his administrations. Her body is barely being held up by her unsteady legs, her eyes are closed, and her arms have given out already leaving her head planted on her nest. She’s panting and her tail is shaking and he can tell that she is close. Doubling his effort, he draws swirling patterns with his tongue. His loving administrations brings her to the edge and pushes her off. The lack of respite made her moan breathless. Once he pulled away, he has the pleasure of seeing her contract around nothing.

Being so close to her scent and tasting her has left him in a state where he is focusing on one thing, and one thing only.

_Breed._

He grabs her hips with his paws and climbs over her, he lined himself up with her snatch. With her being held securely in his paws, he presses the tip against her, he feels her pulsate and spasm. Her tail is shaking side to side, brushing his navel. He cannot hold himself back and he thrusts himself straight to the knot.

She squeals as she feels herself spread open for her mate. She tightens and twitches, her climax is renewed from him entering. Nick yowls as she tightens up around him. She grips him so hard that he may as well have knotted her.

He licks her neck and nibbles her ears, hoping to get her to relax. It’s so warm, so welcoming. He waits until she loosens up enough to allow him to begin moving.

He begins with steady shallow thrusts, savoring her to give her a bit more time to get used to him. When she finally stops spasming and she opens her eyes and looks over her shoulder, he sees the lust and desire in her eyes. He grabs her neck in his jaws, firm enough to hold her, but not enough to break skin or bruise.

He widens his stance and he thrusts harder and faster.

She sees stars and feels lightening course through her. She feels him hammering away at her, trying to reach the deepest parts of her and she arches her back and presses herself against him to give him better access. The feeling of his teeth on her is arousing, knowing that it’s his way of telling her she that she is his and no one else’s. Just how he holds life between his jaws, he also holds her heart. His jaws stops her from going anywhere, not that she wants to. His paws pull her on her hips to bring her closer. His length is almost too wide for her and she loves it.

The smells of their Mating session cloud the room. The pheromones coagulate into a murky haze. Right now, it’s only the two of them. Nothing else matters, no one else matters. Lost in each other and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

They both have the need to breed, and they both intend to fulfill that deed.

Her inner muscles grip and massage him. Milking him for what she wants, what she needs, and it’s driving him crazy. The muffled sound of fur slapping fur fill the den. His yips, yowls, growls, and rumbles mix with her squeaks and chirrs. He closes his eyes, and focuses on the sensation that surrounds him. He hears her squeaks get more frantic and feels her getting tighter. He knows that she is getting close and so is he.

His grip on her hips are iron and he loses his rhythm, instead he pounds away at her with a renewed vigor and strength. His Mate now lays limp in his grip as she can’t hold herself up anymore, resigning herself to laying still as he pounds into her. With an almighty thrust, he knots her and they both explode. She tightens up again but this time he is knot deep and she milks him dry. His knot locks them together and seals her slit, the extra length of his knot makes his tip nestle against her cervix. The moment he pours out his seed, her heat is satisfied and rewards her for listening. 

They cry out in ecstasy.

With their energy spent, they fall asleep while still knotted together.


	14. Complications

When Judy wakes up, it’s not because she wants to. Rather, it’s because of the piercing headache that is like knives stabbing her temples, and it refuses to allow her to sleep.

The only thing that she is grateful for right now is the fact that her heat is gone.

Wait.

It’s too early for it to be gone.

She sits up with the speed of a bullet, but immediately regrets it as her headache is aggravated.

She hisses in pain as she presses her paws to her temples and squeezes her eyes shut.

She didn’t notice the black and red paw pat the bed in different spots, looking for something that it couldn’t see.

But she did notice it when it grabbed her tear-shaped tail and she did notice when it’s twin wrapped itself around her waist. She was so surprised, that she froze long enough for them to pull her backwards into a warm body.

The moment that Judy remembered that she can move, she decided to introduce them with her elbow. She feels it connect and hears a high pitched cry of surprise and pain. When the paws remove themselves from her, she catches a flash of a familiar red fur.

She turns to look at who the mammal is, and her brain shuts down.

Nick is in bed with her.

And he has no clothes.

He didn’t expect to wake up by way of hammer to his muzzle. Pain explodes from his bruising cheek and a headache that is splitting his head in two. Nick shields his head with both paws, protecting himself from anymore stile strikes. He sees stars and hears ringing. And he was having such a great dream too.

When he hears someone gasp, he dared to peek from behind his paws. And he saw Judy in the fur.

Her eyes were locked on him, but she wasn’t looking him in the eyes, but rather, they were looking everywhere else.

He looks down and sees that he was naked too. Just great.

His eyes scan the room, and he realizes that he was in her room, not his.

How did he get here? When did he get here? And what happened since he got here? The answers elude him as he tries to recalls yesterday’s events.

It’s kinda hard to think when someone is taking mental pictures of you. It’s also hard to think when he’s using most of his brain power to stop himself from staring back. When his control slips and he looks at her, she doesn’t notice. Her eyes roam his uncovered body, and he quickly covers his crotch with a pillow that was in arms reach. The broken line of sight seemed to also break the trance that Judy was in.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry!” She moves closer and grabs his paws and moves them out of the way so that she can examine where she hit him. She gingerly touches his cheek, trying to assess the damage, and winces when he flinched.

“You definitely hit like a cop, Carrots.”

“What are you doing here, and why are you naked?”

“Let me get back to you when I can remember what happened yesterday. But I think that it’ll be the same reason that you are.”

Huh? Judy looks down and realized that she was also naked. How did she not notice?

“I assume you don’t know either.”

“No, I don’t. Do you think that we went out drinking last night or something?”

“I’m pretty sure that is a no.”

“I thought that you couldn’t remember anything?”

“I don’t, but there are two things that could back me up in this.”

“Oh?”

“One: I haven’t touched any liquor in years. And two: I don’t smell any in either of us.”

At the word ‘smell’, Judy’s own nose twitched. She didn’t smell alcohol, instead, she got a nose full of Fox musk, Bunny pheromones, and sex.

Nick speaks up before Judy could say anything “I’m going to try and find my clothes before we continue. You should shower or something, you don’t want to go to work smelling like Fox.” He wanders around the room in search of his stuff.

She actually wouldn’t mind. As long as it’s her Fox that she smells like.

Her eyes drift to her clock. Six thirty. She decides that she had enough time and she gets up and has to steady herself. Her legs wobble and she has a dull ache between her legs, she looks down between her legs and sees what she assumed was dried semen. There was no doubt about why they were naked.

“As much as I enjoy the view, mind covering yourself up?” Judy turns to Nick and sees that he has his back turned to her.

“You’re not even looking, besides it’s kinda pointless to be modest now.”

He doesn’t turn around.

“Fine, you big kit.”

She watches Nick as he does his best to locate some missing things, but isn’t having much success.

Her body moves on autopilot as these thoughts bounce around her head. And before she knew it, she had her bag and was already heading out to the shower.

Nick is not having a easy time right now. And he was grateful that Judy has left. Not that he wants her to leave, more like that he wanted to be able to talk to her without wanting to bend her over.

Seriously, the lingering pheromones has saturated the room and it was doing things to him. He knew that he shouldn’t stay in the room, but he can’t seem to leave.

When he takes deep breaths, his head is filled with images of Judy posing for him. He thinks about how this is the second time he Mated with Judy, and he doesn’t remember a single second of it.

He **really** needs to open a window at least.

Crisp fresh air floods the room and it clears out some of the scent, but he can already tell that it’ll never go away, or at least not for a long while. Hopefully Judy doesn’t mind the smell to much.

He finds his pants tangled up with the blankets that have bunched up at the foot of the bed, and his shirt is still MIA. He checks his pockets to check if his stuff is still there and is glad that it is. He grabs his phone and opens it to see new messages from yesterday.

‘Where are you?’

‘Stop running from your problems, at some point you’ll have to face them and it’ll be harder to face them later. I know that this is the last thing that you want to do, but what if something happens? Whether or not you forgive them is not the point, but you need closure. To know that that there is nothing else that you could do.’

‘Nick?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Please answer.’

Nick drops his phone as his headache flares and almost blinds him with white hot pain. Images flash through his mind, one after the other.

Him and Clive.

Agnes and Judy.

Him fighting with Judy.

Confronting Agnes.

Going savage.

Tracking Judy.

 _Other_ things.

Going savage…

How?

He got the antidote, he should be fine. He should have never gone through that again.

He needs to leave.

Right now.

He does his best to hold himself together and not freak out as he looks around for anything to leave a message for Judy. But he doesn’t know where she keeps her office supplies.

Duh! He can just text her. Who needs paper anyway?

‘Sry 2 dip like dis but something came up & I need to go. Txt me if u need me 4 anything.’

…

Judy hears the message go off through the speaker and wonders who it is.

She has to be a bit more gentle than usual when lathering herself as she is still a bit raw.

Her thoughts turn to the cause of her soreness. She didn’t see much because of his sheathe, but she was able to tell that he was much more _gifted_ than any Rabbit or Hare.

She’s surprised that she can even walk. Although considering that this is not the first time they Mated, she supposes that she’s getting used to it.

She rinses off and starts drying her fur as she checks her phone.

She was surprised to see that it was Nick. This is the second day in a row that he texts her while she is in the shower.

She doesn’t bother to finish drying off, just wrapping the towel around her and rushes back to her apartment. And when she does get back, he is already gone. If she didn’t love him as much as she did, she’d kick his tail so hard, he’d feel it till he was old and frail.

Ya know what? She just might anyway.

She pressed his photo and dialed his number. She didn’t have to wait long before he answered.

She didn’t wait for him to say anything “You better have a good explanation for leaving like that.”

“I remembered something that I needed to take care of and it can’t wait. I’m sorry and you can give me a tail-whoopin later.”

“… Don’t think that this is over.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, now I need to go there is someone that I need to talk to. I’ll see you later.” And he hung up.

“Bye” her ears droop and her spirits dampen.

What a morning this turned it to be, huh?

…

When Nick hung up, he felt like trash. But there is nothing he can do about it.

He’ll make it up to Judy later, but right now he has to find out what is happening before he does something that’ll bite him in the ass.

... Before he does something _else_.

Thankfully Judy lives close to a train station. He gets on and makes his way to Meadowlands, there is someone that can help him there.

He should call ahead, it’s bad enough that he’s going to shore up uninvited.

He waits for her to pick up. And when she answers, he lets out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding.

“I need your help.”

“What’d you get yourself into this time?”

“I’d prefer to say it in person, are you busy right now?”

“Not with anything important.”

“I’m on my way there now so expect me to be there in less than a hour.”

“Fine, see you in a bit.”

He hangs up and supports his head with both paws. Why does shit like this happen to him?

He’s disturbed from his thoughts as someone sits next to him.

He picks his head up and sees a Bunny doe. He looks around and sees that there’s hardly any others in the train car so there’s plenty of available seats.

“Hey there, Red.”

Nick instantly doesn’t like her “Don’t call me that.”

“Then what do you want me to call you?”

“Do I know you?”

“No, but I want to know you.” He nearly jumps out of his fur when he feels a paw on his thigh. He quickly grabs her wrist and yanks it away.

He forces himself to be polite “Could you not?”

“Why? It seems like you _like_ Bunnies. I can smell it all over you.” She scoots closer to him, almost leaning against him.

“Just one Bunny.” He has no patience to deal with this right now. He gets up and tries to leave but it’s halted by her grabbing his tail.

Before he could stop himself, he turns and barks at her and growls.

Everyone who was there immediately turns and stares at him. The doe is too surprised to do anything, including letting go of his tail. Instead she squeezes her paw in a bit fear, and he yelps.

Are all Bunnies abnormally strong?

“Let go!” He tried to get away but he can’t with her holding onto his fur, if he tried, she might end up keeping some of his fur.

A Horse stallion approaches them “Is everything all right here?”

“No! She won’t let go of my tail!”

“I wasn’t talking to you, _pelt_.”

“It doesn’t matter because the problem is still the same.”

“You better watch your tone.”

Everything shifts around him. His vision is sharper, his sense of smell is stronger, and his posture changes.

“Why? You gunna do something?”

Nick doesn’t realize but he went from small mammal to a true predator. The stallion freezes, afraid to move or even blink. Everyone in the train car feels it, and they all hold their breath.

The Horse and Rabbit are unfortunate enough feel the brunt of the sensation. The stallion takes a step back and the doe lets go, not wanting to be in contact with him.

He didn’t wait before he moved to the opposite end of the bus. He ignored the stares and turned his attention to his phone. He’s not even halfway there and it already feels like an eternity.

He hoped that Sandy could help him and that this trip wasn’t a waste of time.


	15. Trust Issues

Nick walks up to the home of one of his closest friends. Sandy lived in what basically amounted to a giant oak tree. He was too big to enter but from what he could see, it was cozy and comfortable. The inside looked no different than any paw built house.

Nick cups his paws around his muzzle and calls out to the inhabitant “Sandy!”

A reply in the form of an acorn hits him on the top of his head. “Up here!” Nick turns his eyes toward the voice in the canopy of the tree. He finds a Squirrel waving to him on one of the many branches.

He waits as she descends to the ground.

“So what’s got you in a tizzy?”

“Can we talk about this in private?”

“We can use the garage, but you’re carrying me there.”

He couches down and uses his arm as a ramp to allow Sandy to climb to his shoulder.

Sandy starts up a conversation as they head to their destination “I seen ya in the papers.”

“I’ve been in the papers a lot recently, you have to be more specific.”

“The one where you and the Bunny busted the mayor.”

“Which one?”

“Both.”

“Funny enough, that ties into why I’m here.”

They reached a detached two bay garage and Nick waits for Sandy to open it up. It’s a large structure that seems ill suited for a mammal of Sandy’s size, and fitted more for mammals like Bison or Moose. When it opens up, he sees many different vehicles and machinery. He sees robots, a helicopter, a submarine, and even a half built rocket. There is a little office the size is a birdhouse next to the door that they just walked in through.

The door closes automatically behind them. Sandy jumped from his shoulder to a walkway that came up to his chest. It travelled all around the room with a catwalk connecting the front and back walls between the two bays.

“Do you know what happened after?”

“Yup, it was all over the news. I don’t think that there is anyone who doesn’t know.”

“The reason I’m here is because the antidote didn’t work.”

Sandy made a show of looking at Nick from head to toe “Seems to work just fine to me.”

“For now. But I went savage yesterday.”

“If you went savage, how come it isn’t all over the news?”

“Because I didn’t attack anyone, I stayed hidden as I moved around.”

“Wether or not you went savage, why come to me? I’m an Engineer, not a Veterinarian.”

“You are one of the smartest mammals in the world, I’m sure you know some of the best Veterinarians. Someone who can keep it on the down low. You go to those smart mammal conventions enough.”

“Dumbass! The only mammals who go to the conventions I go to are other engineers.”

“You didn’t deny knowing someone though.”

“No I don’t know anyone.”

“Maybe a friend of a friend?”

“Nope.”

“How ‘bout-”

“No matter how many time you ask, the answer is still no. Why can you just go to the hospital where they treated you the first time?”

“If they fucked up the first time, why would I go them a second? And plus, they’ll have to make public knowledge and I don’t want it to become an issue until after it’s dealt with, if at all.”

“Why? It’s not like it’s something to to be ashamed of.”

“Because my girlfriend is a cop and if everyone thinks that she can revert back to savagery at any given moment, how will she be able to continue working as a cop? She has gone through hell and back to be a cop and if she finds out that she can’t be one anymore because no one feels safe around her, it will devastate her.”

“You have a girlfriend?”

“I thought you said you read the news?”

“I read news, not gossip. I have better things to do with my time.”

“Fair enough. So yes I do have a girlfriend, she is actually the Bunny cop from the same article.”

“Really? I didn’t know you had a thing for buck teeth. Should I be worried?”

“I just said I have a girlfriend, and we’re getting off topic.”

“Fine, but you gotta tell me about her later.”

“If you want me to talk all day then I’ll be happy to accommodate you.”

Sandy snorts “I didn’t peg you as one of those types.”

“You say I talk too much, so what makes you think that changed? And we’re getting off topic again.”

Sandy waved nonchalantly “Fine. You have to remember that a mammal’s body is a complex organism. There are so many things that it does simultaneously, and healing that complex organism is a complex process. There are plenty of procedures that require multiple surgeries, but that doesn’t mean that each one failed. It just means that the damage done to you was greater than they originally thought.”

“But an antidote isn’t like surgery, it was supposed to get rid of the Night Howler’s poison.”

“But the damage is already done, your mind probably just needs time to heal. You should just go to the ones who treated you the first time, they already have all the information they need.”

“So this entire trip was a waste of time?”

“You calling me a waste of time?! I oughta beat the savage outa you.”

“You know what I meant.”

Sandy just smiles “Still doesn’t change the fact that I want to smash your muzzle in almost every time we hang out.”

“What can I say? It’s a gift.”

A chime from Sandy’s phone interrupts the two.

She checks the caller ID and her eyes widen. “I need to take this. It’ll be awhile so you should just go.”

“Geez, I travel all this way just to get kicked out?”

“If you wanted to be babied, you shoulda gone to your ma’s” Sandy is about to answer when she stops and says “I still want to hear about your girl later.” And she disappeared into the office.

“Guess I’ll show myself out then.”

…

Judy walked into the precinct less enthusiastically than normal. Her mind more preoccupied with her situation with Nick still running through her head. She checked the time and saw that she had about twenty minutes until she clocks in.

She had been worried after he ditched her while she showered, and it was something that she didn’t know how to deal with.

She just hoped that this was not going to be the norm from now on.

She sees Ben tapping away at his phone and decided to talk to him for a bit.

“Hi Ben.” She jumped onto a chair by the desk so that he didn’t have to lean over to look at her.

“Hey Judy, how ya doin’?” His nose twitches and his smile grows “Actually, I think I have a pretty good idea.”

Her were blushing bright red, but she didn’t drop them “Is it that noticeable?”

“Yep.”

There is an instinctual satisfaction in knowing that everyone else knows that she was claimed.

“That reminds me, you never told me about him.”

“Well for starters, he’s a smart ass.”

Ben snorts in amusement.

She goes on to describe Nick and tells Ben about how they met and how infuriating he was at the time. She told him that he was bullied when he was young and how he had to take care of his mother from a young age.

Been couldn’t help but put his two cents in every once in a while.

But one of those comments stood out “Those types are the hardest to date.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well first you need to understand something first, and that is what it means to be Mated. When two mammals become Mates, what is something that you can expect them to do?”

“Move in together.”

“And you know why? It’s because when they pool their resources together, they are more stable and they rely on each other and take care of one another.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Yeah, but Nick isn’t going to be like that, or at least not at first.”

“What do you mean?” Judy tilts her head in confusion.

“From what you told me, Nick never had anyone to lean on. He always has to do things by himself and he had to do it alone. And when the going gets tough, he more than likely won’t rely on anyone when he needs help. Not even you.”

“You make it seem as if our relationship is doomed to fail.”

“No, not at all. I’m telling you from experience, my ex was the same way, he always bottled up his feelings and never talked about what was bothering him. What you need to do is to establish yourself as his safe haven, someone he can go to without a second thought if you want your relationship to work.”

“And how do I do that?” There is no way that Judy will let her relationship fall apart without a fight.

“Well whatever you do, don’t make it seem like you’re trying to pry, if you do, then he’s more likely to try and hide it better.”

**“Hopps!”**

Both Judy and Ben jump from their seats. They turn to the source of the voice and sees the Chief looking down at them from the ledge of the second floor.

“Shouldn’t you be heading out now?”

Judy looks at the clock and gasps. It’s been twenty minutes since her shift started. She doesn’t say goodbye to Ben as she rushes off.

The rest of her morning goes smoothly. Writing tickets, verbal abuse from mammals who owns the cars that get ticketed, a few comments about her relationship with Nick.

All in all it goes swimmingly.

The one thing that lingers on her mind is about what Ben said, and it has been bothering her.

She thinks back to all her interactions with Nick. Most of their conversations are either mundane or focused on her. Other than the time in the Rainforest District, he never gave her information about himself without something else bringing it up and making it unavoidable like with what happened with Mr. Big, Agnes and Kris, or with his Mom.

She knew small things like what type of music he liked (even then he was a bit vague). But she didn’t know things like what are his most precious memories? what are his fears? Does he have any hobbies? What does he do for fun? Does he have any pet peeves?

_*ping*_

Judy checks the message.

It was Nick.

‘Lunch?’

‘Sure, where do you wanna meet?’

‘Spring & Prairie. When do u hav break?’

Looking at the map on her phone she sees that it wasn’t too far away, only about four miles away. She can make it in about ten minutes depending on traffic.

‘I can take my break in 30 minutes.’

‘Ok. I’ll c u then’

‘Where are we eating?’

‘It’s a surprise’

Judy smiles. They will make it work, it takes time to build trust. And they just started their relationship.

She heads toward her destination while working the meters and makes it to her destination in twenty five, and she used her radio to notify Ben that she is starting her lunch break.

She looks around to see if she can figure out where they are going. There is a line of cafés and restaurants in her side of the street, and on the other side of the is a fairly large park with a lot of greenery, a small mammal built lake (or was a big pond?) with geese and ducks, a dirt trail circling the pond with benches facing the water. Many of the restaurants have outdoor seating areas that were fairly packed.

She decides to text Nick ‘I’m here, are you nearby?”

‘I’m driving up now’

And sure enough, she sees him pull up and park in front of the park.

As she waits for the crosswalk light, she watches him get something from the back seat of his car but she can’t see from where she is. She sees his head pop back up and he closes the door. She already crossed the street and was walking toward him when she sees what he grabbed, and was pleasantly surprised that he had a picnic basket. He waits by the beginning of the trail and when she gets close he grabs her with his free paw by her waist and pulls her against his side.

He leans down and kisses her cheek “Sorry about this morning, turned out to be a false alarm. Now c’mon, there’s this one spot up ahead where we can get a great view of the lake.”

He smiles as she grins a dopey smile and her ears flush.

She lets him guide her to their destination “So is this an apology? ‘Cuz if so, then it’s a good one.”

“Partly, but it’s also too nice of a day to not do something like this.”

She looks around at the other mammals around and sees some feeding the wildlife, others jogging, and even some fishing.

“Are they even allowed do that?” She points at the latter.

“Mammals can fish, but only catch and release. There’s some Rangers who wander around keeping an eye on them in case if any get tempted to try anything, and if you have a bucket or ice chest with fishing poles then they’ll check them.”

“Do you fish?” If she wants him to open up more, it’s best to start on small things and work her way up to bigger things.

“I’ve fished only a couple of times, but never here.”

“Do you do Catch and Release? Or do you fish for food.”

“If I fish, then I’m going to eat it. Anyway, the spot’s right there.” He points to a portion of the shore that is covered in grass and outcrops a little and is surrounded in three sides by water, and a tree close by provides shade.

He pulls a blanket out of the basket and lays it out for them. “I didn’t have much time to make food, so what I did was get different ingredients for sandwiches and I got a bunch of fruits for the side.”

Indeed, the inside of that basket is a treasure trove containing strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a jar of pickles, bread, cheese, various condiments, some plastic utensils and disposable plates.

“This all looks great.”

It’s simple but romantic, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to point out any mistakes and typos.


	16. Famous

Judy has thoroughly enjoyed the picnic he prepared for them. They had finished their lunch, fed the birds that were around, and strolled through the park paw in paw.

When the time came for her to go back to work, Nick walked her back to the go kart. They had been reluctant to part ways and found little excuses for them to stay together are a couple of seconds longer. And for the next hour or so, she had a contented smile planted firmly one her muzzle. What threatened her mood was his attempt at brushing off whatever happened today (not a good attempt either) but there was no way that she was going to get whatever it is out of him without seeming a bit too nosy. She just has to take her time and build up his trust in her.

Should be easy enough.

...

Nick whistled a merry tune and walked with a pep in his step that he hasn’t had in years. He had something that he valued more than anything and there was no way that he would let it slip though his fingers. The drive back home had him listening to love songs the entire way and thinking about the future that he was eagerly looking forward to.

Nick whistles die down as he remembers that morning.

In reality, he had only one real option, and of course it’s the one that he didn’t want. What did he expect? That somehow Sandy could’ve done something that a fully outfitted team of medical professionals couldn’t have done? He should just go to an emergency ward and tell them exactly what’s going on.

He should go to an emergency ward and tell them what’s going on _Saturday_.

_Today_ he can’t muster up the will power to go and declare himself and a dozen and a half mammals as a danger to the public who can’t be trusted to be left out in the public and will need to go back into quarantine. And _tomorrow_ he has plans with Clive that he’ll have dinner with his family, and maybe he can even bring his Mom along.

Judy thought that she hid her intention of finding out what happened this morning well enough, but she still had a long way to go before she can hide something from him. And he wasn’t even one of the more talented liars, at least compared to some mammals he knew. Every once in awhile she said something like “How was your morning?” or “You do anything interesting?”

Nick saw his condo coming up and decides to save those thoughts for when he gets inside. It’s not like they’re going anywhere.

When he gets in the lobby, he saw Kris sitting in a spot where he can see everyone.

And Kris definitely saw him.

He stomps toward Nick with his ears pinned, hackles raised, tail fur was standing on end, eyes narrowed, and a growl emanated from his throat. Gone was the polite and respectful todd that was Kris, and in his place stood an enraged mammal who had his sights locked onto Nick.

A left cross hits Nick in the same place that Judy had hit him earlier so fast that he didn’t even see it. And if he thought that Judy hits like a hammer, then Kris hits like freight train. Nick goes down like a puppet that has its strings cut. The thwack of Kris’ paw against his muzzle was clearly heard even when it was muffled by the fur between. His vision spins and his ears ring.

Mammals gasp at the display of violence from the taller Urocyon.

Nick growls as rolls over to his stomach and tries to get up but is interrupted by a kick to his side that rolls him to his back.

Kris is saying something but whatever it is gets lost in translation between his ears and his brain. The only thing that he knows is that his head hurts, and his side aches to the point of hurting whenever he tries to take a full breath. His growls stutter and hitch as his lungs struggles to get air.

“-to her?! She refuses to leave the room. And when I said that I was going to try and talk to you again she freaked out. She called you a monster.”

He rolls back to his stomach and tries to get up again but he takes to slow as his body refuses to move any faster in order to avoid aggravating his side. But as he starts to get up Kris stomps on his back, sending him back to the floor.

Neither of them notice the bystanders calling out for someone to call nine-one-one.

Kris stands over Nick as he speaks “She doesn’t look anyone in the eye, she doesn’t talk to anyone, I wake up at night because I hear her screaming for you not to hurt her.”

Nick struggles to get up a third time. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kris lift his paw up to stomp again. He waits for when it’s about to come back down, then he rolls out of the way. It hurt his side and back to do so, but not as much as it would’ve if it connected.

Kris just sent another kick to his side.

Nick mind fades away as he is struck.

**Defend.**

...

Precinct Two gets a call about an assault at a condominium in the western region of Deerbrooke. Being the closest Officers in the area, Bambi Dunagan and Copper Russell get the call to go.

They arrive in less than three minutes.

As they get out of their patrol car they hear screaming coming from inside the building and they rush toward the sound. Through the glass windows and glass doors see two Foxes on the ground, the Gray Fox had his legs wrapped around the Red Fox’s neck in a triangle while his arm was locked in jaws. They both were snarling and growling, but the gray todd was the most distressed as he frantically struck the top of the red one’s head in a desperate attempt to get the jaws to release. The horrified mammals in the lobby stay back and some of them even record the scene with their phones.

When the Gray Fox finally gets the red one to let go, he jumps far out of reach. As he nurses his arm, his injuries are now in view of the officers. He has the obvious injury to his forearm, he favors one leg over the other, and he has scratches in various places.

Bambi gasps in surprise as he looks at the red todd, he is on all fours and his eyes are the dilated eyes of a savage. Just looking into those emerald eyes causes a shiver to run up his spine.

Without any hesitation, both officers draw their tranquilizers on the Vulpine and fire. Both hit their mark and it doesn’t take long for it to take effect and to render the small predator unconscious.

Bambi takes one look around the room and curses at the amount of phones that are pointing at them.

...

“Shocking video of a Fox going savage earlier today goes viral on social media. The video shows one of the Night Howler victims go savage after being assaulted by an unknown Fox. Two ZPD officers quickly subdued the savage mammal and no further statements have been made on how this happened there has been groups who have been vocal and are calling for the Night Howler victims to be quarantined once again.” Peter Moosebridge’s voice emanate from countless screens across the city.

Fabienne Growley is the next to speak “The video about to play is graphic in nature and viewer discretion is advised.”

The video in question fills the screen and shows Nick as he begins retaliating against Kris.

...

“ **Boss!** ” The double doors of his office slam open, a lanky Coyote barges into the room.

He puts down his glass, and the scowl which seems to be a permanent feature depends. “What is it Petey?”

“You need to see this!” He holds out a tablet. And in that tablet was the video of Nick and Kris, which was paused where that was a clear view of Kris.

“Savage Fox attack in Deerbrooke.”

“Not the title, look at the Gray Fox.”

The frown slowly morphs into a malicious smile, showing all of the Cheetah’s sharp teeth “After all this time, we finally found you.”

...

An amethyst set of eyes watch the screen, horrified at what is being played.

Judy has been working the parking meters when her extraordinary ears catch the word savage from a T.V. in a nearby café patio. She saw him only a couple of hours ago, how can something so drastic happen in such a short amount of time?

Her radio blares to life and the voice of Ben comes from the little speaker “Officer Hopps please report back to the Precinct.”

“Understood.” She automatically responds, not really focused on what he just said.

The name Hopps causes the atmosphere to change, all those who hears now watch Judy from the corner of their eyes and try to subtly try to inch away from the Rabbit. They all recognize her as the only prey in Zootopia who went savage.

Judy ignores them all and heads back to the jokemobile and heads back to the precinct.

The ride back is a quiet one. The radio which normally plays music on low volume has been turned off.

Judy (who normally keeps her head on a swivel in search of whatever needs her attention such as the parking meters, or a civilian who needs assistance, or even a crook like Duke to pop around a corner) keeps her eyes on the road and her thought is occupied by the news. She begins to worry about how this will affect her, how this will affect Bellweather’s other victims, and most of all how this will affect Nick.

And Judy has to wonder, will she go savage? It happened to Nick, and who’s to say that it won’t happen to her? She thinks of Emmitt Otterton and Renato Manchas even if she didn’t know them personally. But she knew that Octavia Otterton went through heck with all the worry she had last time he savage. She didn’t know anything about Renato, but she was there when he went savage. She imagines about all of the victims family and friends, and about how they have to endure another tragedy so soon after.

Now she thinks about her own family. All two hundred and seventy seven of them.

It’s funny to think how hurting one mammal can affect many _many_ others. Only seventeen mammals went savage, and with only three of them (herself, Nick, and Emmitt), two hundred and eighty nine mammals were affected, not including friends.

She surprised herself when she pulled in to the car lot, she had driven herself all the way back without paying attention.

Now to see what they wanted.

...

Emmitt opened the door to see a group of cops and some sort of health-care workers.

Another Otter wearing a blue cross on his black button up steps forward “Are you Mr. Emmitt Otterton?”

“Yes.”

“We ask that you come with us. There may be some issues concerning your recent affliction. Anyone who wants to join you will be allowed but they must travel in another vehicle.”

...

Renato looks through his peephole “Who is it?”

...

“This is Fabienne Growley with an important announcement. All those who have been affected by Midnicampum Holicithias, more commonly referred to as Night Howlers, are required to go to their local precinct if authorities have not yet approached you. You will be quarantined until thorough treating have concluded there is no lingering affects that could pose a danger to others.”

...

“This is so unfair!”

“We already went through this.”

“How long do we have to stay here?!”

Judy looks around from her seat. As time goes on, more and more mammals show up, all of whom she recognized as the other victims. But this time, there are others who are with them.

She thinks back in what happened since she got back. Waiting in the lobby was the Chief. He explained what was going on and told her that she was going on paid medical leave. She and the others will be out in a motel that has been rented out to accommodate them. It was located next to a hospital where they will undergo tests and they will be unable to leave without an escort.

But one thing she wanted to know is something no one knew, will this be permanent? Will it be like epilepsy where they have episodes? Was Nick a one off case? Will they degrade with no chance at recovery? Not knowing scared all of them.


	17. After Effects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to RavenSpellsoer for the help.

In precinct One, Judy looks around and only finds five of the other victims in the room, the rest were officers and what she assumed were family and friends.

After Bogo has told her what the plan was, she had gone to Ben and asked if he can bring some of her stuff to where she will be staying. She gave him a list of what she needed and where they will be as well as the keys to her apartment, she just needed to wait until he finished his shift.

The Chief’s voice stifles any chit chat “There is a shuttle bus waiting you outside which will move all of you to your temporary residence. Any family or friends will not be allowed on the bus but may follow it to the destination.”

Bogo leads the group to where the vehicle was and halted by the bus door “When you get to your destination, there will be someone there to give you further directions and assign you to a room.”

With nothing else to say, everyone starts to pile in. The seats were evenly spaced throughout the bus, with more than enough space for the biggest in the group. Judy took note of the officers in the front and back.

The ride was uneventful and soon enough the motel was in view, as well as some other officers and the rest of the other temporary residents.

It looked like any other motel, a main lobby where the receptionist and dining room were, all the rooms surround the parking lot creating a ring, the only entrance was the driveway into the parking lot.

“Please join up with the others in wait for someone to assign you a room.” An officer in the front called out.

Getting out of the bus, Judy heads over to the group who were now lining up to receive their keys and room number. She looks around and doesn’t see Nick here.

The line goes by quickly and when everyone has one , her room number was sixteen, a Cougar officer speaks up “Everyone one here will not be allowed to leave without a police escort, however visitors will be allowed. Inside your rooms will be a schedule of when food will be provided. Down the street is the hospital where Veterinarians will be working very hard to solve this issue. There will be times where either the Vets will come here or we will take you to the Vets to undergo some tests and treatments. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone anything.”

Judy looks around to try and find her room and she finds it on the second floor in the back corner, she also found Emmitt and Octavia heading to the door next to her’s.

At least there was someone she knew nearby.

...

When Terry had received the message informing him about Nick’s status, he rushed down to the hospital where he was being treated. Once he arrived, he was greeted by the in house Vets who had led him to Nick and are currently updating him on Nick’s condition.

“We already administered the antidote, but he hasn’t regained lucidity. Most probable theory is that he is remaining savage due to his injuries.”

The Capybara Vet gave him Nick’s medical chart which detailed his injuries. The fifth left rib has been broken, his left cheekbone has a hairline fracture, as well as deep bruising in various spots.

Terry looks at Nick from behind the window. He would’ve thought that the Fox was sleeping is not for the flicking of his ears that followed every sound. Nick was laying down on his right side to avoid putting pressure on the left side. The injuries themselves would heal in about five to six weeks. Broken ribs were no joke but what was more concerning however, was the fact that the antidote had not worked.

“How has he behaving?”

“He has almost ended up biting one of the nurses when he had woken up. He didn’t pursue her after she had run off suggesting it was just defensive. He hasn’t left the bed since.”

Terry frowned as he listened “Has anyone been in the room since he woke up?”

“Yes, however none have gotten within his reach. And he hasn’t shown any aggression towards them.”

That is something that made Nick different from all the other victims, him and Judy. Those two were the only ones who weren’t violent. The entire time they had worked on this case, all the victims had to be sedated or confined in a separate space for fear of the Veterinarians’ safety. Nick and Judy however were easier to work with. Nick was completely docile and passive, and Judy caused them no trouble other than her escape attempts. But after being reunited with each other, Nick was overall happier, and Judy had stopped causing them trouble altogether.

Which reminds him. “Has Judy been updated on Nick’s status?”

“His Mate? No, not yet. She is being moved in with the others at the Cat Nap Motel off of Glade and Spring. Once she is settled in we’ll bring her here.”

“And what about the others?”

“They are also being settled in, we’ll start bringing in small groups to get started with basic tests and we’ll move on from there depending on what we find.”

“Hopefully things will be better by then.”

...

Nick groans as he shifted his weight the wrong way. He knew that those injuries could turn into something much worse if he just moved the wrong way, but he couldn’t stop shifting for the life of him.

He needs to be with his Mate but what could he do? After the adrenaline wore off he was too weak to stand let alone move.

He closes his eyes and struggles to fall asleep.

...

Felicity and Ashe wait as the receptionist behind the desk pulls up the information on Nick.

Felicity was first of the two to see the news, and she was on the verge of hysterics. And what made matters worse was the fact that she had to watch Nick and Kris tear each other apart. It took Ashe all she had to keep Felicity from breaking down.

When they received the phone call from the hospital where he was being treated, Felicity was the first one out the door and waited for Ashe in the van, but this was different van than the one they used to pick up Nick from the hospital, this one was modified to allow Felicity to be the driver, the pedals on the floor were removed and instead had some paddles on the steering wheel that she could reach with her fingers while still being able to steer with a firm paw hold on the wheel. They ran multiple red lights and nearly wrecked more than a few times leaving screaming mammals behind. When she turned two tires lifted off the ground and slammed back down. If she wasn’t worried sick about Nick, she would’ve enjoyed the ride.

When they finally reach the hospital, it isn’t soon enough for Ashe, who practically jumped out of the car as soon it was safe to do so. Her eyes were wide and her fur was standing on end.

“That is why I hate driving with you.”

“Hate me all you want later, right now I need to see Nick.”

Which brings them back to present time.

“I’m surprised that no cops were around, I’m sure that you caused more than one crash.”

“Just their unlucky day I guess.” Felicity commented with a shrug

“Mrs. Wilde, you son’s room is number three seven four.” The young Deer stag broke them out of their own bubble and brought them out to the world around them.

“Thank you.”

As the two vixens left, they missed that same stag stare at them out of concern that one of them may be a psychopath.

...

In a hospital in the opposite side of the city is Kristofferson and Agnes. Kris is bedridden and bandages cover the length of his arms, shoulders, torso, and neck. They cover the stitches and glue used to close his wounds, the blood that escaped is soaked into the bandages. Sedatives were given to ease his pain and allow him to sleep.

Agnes is holding onto his paw and presses it to her muzzle. Her eyes are red and the fur under her eyes have crusted over with dried tears.

“You stupid, stupid Fox. What were you thinking? What if I lost you to that monster?”

Her cries renew and her ears fold back unconsciously in discomfort as she is unable to soothe her Mate’s pain.

...

It’s been a hour since arriving at the motel, and since then Judy had gone to check out her room. It has a single bed that was way too big for her, a bathroom with a shower, a T.V., a window facing toward the parking lot, and a note with the password for the WiFi. Since she didn’t have anything to put away yet, she was just on her phone mindlessly going through her social media when a knock at the door surprises her. That can’t be Ben, he shouldn’t be getting off work for about an hour.

To open the door, Judy needs to jump up to be able to grab the doorknob. When she manages that, she doesn’t see Ben. Instead she sees an officer and someone who she assumes is a healthcare worker based on the logo on her shirt.

“Ms. Hopps, would you kindly follow us?” They didn’t wait for her to respond and walked away.

They led her to a small group of others were waiting by the entrance of the lot where a shuttle bus was parked. The ride was short and uneventful, however to Judy it was one of the longest trips in her life. When they arrived at the hospital they pulled in a side entrance where there were hospital employees waiting for them. Judy also sees her Uncle Terry with the employees, and he doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Everyone gets off and the employees give them directions to follow.

Before Judy can follow, her Uncle stops her. “Judy, could you come here for a second?”

She goes up to him and gives him a hug “Is this going to be a thing now? That every time we see each other is when I’m in the hospital.”

“I certainly spend enough time in hospitals that it could happen, but hopefully you won’t be the patient. Now then, I’m sure that you want to know how Nick is doing.” Her ears perk immediately when he mentions her Mate’s name.

“I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon, I’ll show you where he is.”

He leads her in same general direction as the other group but veers off to a different hallway where the sign said that they were heading toward a restricted area of the hospital.

As they walk, Terry begins updating Judy “Nick is not in the greatest condition right now. He has a broken rib, fractured cheekbone, and is still savage.”

Judy stops walking in shock, her ears up in alarm and her eyes are wide “You haven’t given him the antidote?! Why haven’t you give him the antidote?!”

“That’s the first thing we did, but it didn’t have any affect. We think that it’s because of his injuries that he hasn’t regained sanity.”

They get to a door that requires a keycard to unlock.

“We also think that if you were to stay here with him as he heals will make things much easier for everyone.”

“It’s okay for me to go in?”

“Absolutely, he’ll recognize you as his Mate so you’ll be completely fine. He actually isn’t all that aggressive while savage and we are comfortable enough to work with him in the same room.”

“Then what was the point of bringing me to the motel?”

“If the antidote had worked, it would’ve been fine to keep you there. However, since it did not it wouldn’t be a good idea to keep you there with the other predators when there isn’t anything we could do to ensure your safety.”

“I could take care of myself.”

“I’m not saying that you can’t, but why take the chance that you can get hurt when you can stay here and help take care of Nick?”

“Are you saying that you can’t?”

“I’m not saying that either. But the last time the two of you were savage, you both were happier and much easier to work with when two two were together. Plus, I think that you’ll find that he acts very different.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm. And I’m sure that you’ll find something to tease him about later.”

“Oh really?” A smile grows on her face and Terry could see the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Terry stops and gestures Judy to do the same. Pointing to the door next to them, Terry begins to explain “This is his room. Be careful going in as he was asleep when I was last in here.”

He then opens up the door.

Nick is still sleeping. Just looking at him now, she wouldn’t be able to tell that he was savage. He was laying down on his side stretched out, his mouth was wide open to the point that his tongue was hanging out, and his tail twitched every so often.

She quietly approaches the bed and sits down next to his head. She carefully maneuvers his head to rest on her lap and brushes his fur on the top of his head to the back of his neck.

...

His nose twitches.

He caught the scent of his Mate. He feels her grooming him. Nick turns his head toward the source without opening his eyes and pressed his nose into the warm body. His tail started to wag and his body relaxed.

He hears her chitter but she isn’t doing anything different so he doesn’t bother opening his eyes, content to continue his nap.

He dreams of wide open fields and his precious little Bunny.


	18. Nighttime Antics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not what you think.  
> Or is it?

It’s been two weeks since Nick had turned savage, and not once has he regained sanity. Judy has been living in the hospital with Nick as the Vets believe that he would be better off with his Mate nearby.

At first it was kind of weird to basically babysit a grown todd, however Judy had plenty of experience babysitting her own siblings to have no problem taking care of Nick. It was actually easier as Nick did anything that Judy wanted him to do and was eager to please. He also made it a habit to follow her around once he was recovered enough to move without issues. At times that could be annoying, like when she has to push him out of the restroom when she needs to go, but she finds it overall endearing, like how when she goes to bed, she wakes up with him curled around her and is using his tail to cover the both of them.

Another issue is how to keep Nick clothed. Not once, not twice, not even three times, but eight times Nick has somehow managed to strip himself out of every article of clothing. They tried sweats, shorts, tee shirts, undershirts and various other styles and materials with no success.

She remembered the first time he did it, and she still couldn’t understand how he could do it in the same room and go unnoticed until he curled around her stark naked.

Eventually they found that it was because he found clothing too restrictive while moving around. They started to try loose and baggy clothes, which he liked more than the others and would actually them on. His preferred outfit is actually the hospital gown.

Right now he was laying down next to her as she brushed his fur, which she found out that he absolutely loved.

It started a week ago when Judy had scratched that one spot that make him melt, the one above his Adam’s apple to the underside of his chin. She was sitting down on her bed while he leaned against her side and begun to scratch there absentmindedly while she used her phone when she began to feel the bed shake. At first it was barely there, but quickly sped up and became more forceful up until she stopped when she noticed and couldn’t keep going as she laughed as he repeatedly kicked his leg in the air.

He whines his protest of the stopped scratches. His eyes stare at her intently, his eyes stare at her with unbridled sadness.

“ _Aww~_ you call me cute but you are downright adorable.” She didn’t let the opportunity go by as she used her phone to take a picture of his puppy eyes.

Judy continued to brush him until he ended up falling asleep. She stares at him and her her heart starts to ache. Nick is right here, but at the same time he isn’t.

If the Veterinarians were right, then it’s possible that Nick would stay savage for two more weeks give or take.

Speaking of savage, the things might be getting worse for the infected predators as she overheard someone saying that they are getting shorter tempers lately. Luckily no one has gone full on savage yet.

Judy is distracted from her thoughts as Nick curls up around her as he falls asleep. She smiles and decides that right now is a good to take a midday nap.

A few hours later and Nick is the first one to wake up. It’s nearing sunset now so now is the time that Nick will be the most active as he is naturally nocturnal. Judy would wake up in a bit as her sleep schedule is now slowly shifting to match his.

He looks at his Mate who had snuggled into his tail and was snoring softly. He watched her sleep and he’d notice things like how her nose twitched occasionally, how her ears splayed out in different directions, and how every time she readjusted herself she would spread herself out and take up more space while keeping a hold of his tail.

He grooms her as she sleeps. Licking the back of her head and along the length of her ears. He hears her sigh and feels her relax and unwind against him. He moves down the back of her neck and to the top of her shoulders.

Judy was a light sleeper, so as soon as Nick began she woke up. He’s done this before and while she would enjoy it more if it didn’t leave her smelling like Fox spit afterwords, it was very comforting and relaxing. She sighs as she feels him lick along her sensitive ears. She didn’t move, content to let him continue. When he moved down to her shoulders, her mind began to wander.

She has to suppress a shudder as she feels his cold wet nose poke her neck and his warm breath flow through her fur.

He moves over the area he already groomed, looking for any spot he missed and has to fight back against a forming blush when he moves toward her ears and his breath now travels along the inside of her _very_ sensitive ears.

She almost sighs in relief when he finishes his inspection and moves along. He moves to her arms and is busy with that as Judy takes deep breaths to cool the burning interior of her long appendages.

_“Ah~”_

Her eyes snap open and she covers her mouth and looks back at Nick who has begun to groom her tail. Lightning travels from the base of her spine to the tips of her ears and toes. By the time she gets over her shock, he had already moved on and was now working on her legs. If he noticed that woke up, he didn’t give any indication. Judy bites her lip and closes her eyes.

His licks crawled over all exposed area of fur. And when he started on the inside of her thighs, she starts to pant and her eyes cross.

Nick is about to move on when his nose picks up the scent of his mate’s arousal. Using his excellent sniffer, he follows the aroma to it’s source. It’s not accessible to him, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to reach it.

It gets to the point that Judy pushes him away and gets out of bed to head to the bathroom. Nick tried to follow but Judy closes the door before he gets there and he now sits outside the door.

Judy sits down with her back against the door and is taking deep breaths. Her legs had almost given out on her while heading to the bathroom and they still spasm. She regained enough control over her legs to trust herself to stand up.

Suppose this is a good time as any to check the damage done to my fur.

The mirror revealed fur sticking up all over her and she can definitely smell the saliva left behind. She looks down and sees a wet patch that has started to form on her pajama shorts. She decided that a shower was in order otherwise cleaning herself up later would be a nightmare.

She opens the door and sees Nick sitting down in front of the door. As he sees the door open, his tail begins to wag and he begins to try and nose his way into the bathroom. Letting him in, she leaves to grab a change of clothes.

Once Nick realized that she wasn’t staying in the bathroom, he followed her toward the bed where she had stored her clothes underneath in a duffel bag. She grabs what she needs and head back to the bathroom.

Nick sees this and instead of following her, he rushes ahead and sits down on the floor of the bathroom.

Judy stops just outside the door, putting her paws on her hips and tapping her foot on the ground. He is laying down on the tiles and with their weight difference she wouldn’t be able to push him out now. This is not the first time he’s done this, so she know how to deal with this. If he doesn’t want to leave the bathroom, then fine.

She just closed the bathroom door with him inside and her outside. She just has to wait until he wants out then open the door and go inside right as he leaves and close the door behind her.

Easy.

She strips off her dirty clothes and wraps a towel around herself, making most of the time she needed to wait.

Five minutes of couch surfing was all that she had to wait before she hears scratching at the door and a high pitched wine.

She opened the door to let him out.

Judy looks inside and sees him sitting down in the middle of the floor looking fairly innocent. As if she’d trust that look.

“Are you coming out or not?”

He just wagged his tail and she swore that he was fighting back a smile. Her eyes narrow and her ears pin themselves to her back. She closed the door and tried again. Five more minutes pass and Judy heard the whines and scratches again.

She opens the door again and sees the same thing.

“Oh it’s going to be like that?”

She walks in and puts her stuff down next to the shower, grabs her wash cloth and head to the sink. She turns on the faucet and soaks the rag.

He has _no_ idea.

She doesn’t need a mirror to know that a semi-malicious smile is plastered on her muzzle. She turns to Nick and her eyes gleam. As she walk to him, his tail wags faster and he struggles to sit still. She would’ve felt bad but sometimes drastic measures must be taken.

She lifts the water soaked cloth above his head and wrings it.

She almost died laughing as he yelped and shot out of the bathroom faster than she ever seen him move. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and closed the door.

A loud yelp of pain killed any humor as she looks around beforerealizing what had happened.

As she was wiping her eyes, she missed Nick scampering back into the room and she closed the door on his tail.

“OhmygodI’msosorry.” Rushes out of her mouth as she reach down to examine his tail for any bruises, breaks, or fractures.

Before she can touch it, Nick draws his tail away from her and tucks it between his legs as he retreats out of the bathroom and crawls under the bed and lies down in the corner. She follows him to the side of the bed and she kneels down to see him but he’s curled up with his back toward her.

“Nick? Come on out, I’m sorry.”

He curls into a tighter ball.

“Nick?”

Nothing.

Guilt washes over her. Maybe she shouldn’t have wet him with the rag, it was just mean and there were other ways to get him out.

She heads back to the bathroom and she starts her shower. Normally she enjoys the process of cleaning herself, but this time she just wants to get it over with. She finishes and towels herself off before using a fur drier to get the moisture off that the towel couldn’t. She puts on the fresh set of pajamas, which consist of a tee and sweats, and leaves the bathroom.

He is still underneath the bed.

Her ears droop behind her and she jumps into the bed, she closed her eyes but sleep seems to escape her. She shifts, twists, and turns trying to find a comfortable position but couldn’t find one. She grabs her phone and browses social media to pass the time. It isn’t until the bed dips with added weight that she looks away from the phone.

It’s Nick!

She reaches out slowly and when her fingers touch his fur, she begins to brush it with her stubby little claws. He gets closer and curled around her.

The familiar body heat and the softness off his fur envelop her. It was then she realizes that why: Nick wasn’t there. Everyday since coming here, she slept in the same bed as Nick. It just isn’t the same to fall asleep in an empty bed as falling asleep next to her Mate.

Her eyelids grow heavy and sleep calls to her.

As her breathing evens out, Nick looks down at his mate and nuzzles the top of her head strengthening his mark on her. He lays his head down with his nose tuck into the crook of her neck and follows her lead in falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, it’s not what you think.
> 
> I never thought that this story would reach 40k+ words. And I have you guys to thank. I may not reply or acknowledge every review, but I do read them and it encourages me to continue to write.
> 
> So thank you to these reviewers:
> 
> Natnat64, Zootopialover34, Mike900, Pokefan366, k0h-darkblade, Robert Escher, supersegways117, swifttalion1990, Kasolai, Anthem of Grimm, VidentTarbent, sneakyMCaltaccount, Mikey2084, RavenSpellsoer, Wolfx1120.
> 
> There were more but they didn’t have usernames. All of the comments that I’m referring to are from FanFiction.net


	19. Even More Problems

Judy woke up with Nick curled around her as it is part of their new sleeping arrangements. Despite having no intention on going back to sleep, she stays in Nick’s embrace. Thanks to the lack of loud noises as they are in a restricted part of the hospital, she began to listen to the sound of his heart beat every morning. Something about it soothes her. It reminds her that even though Nick isn’t in the right state of mind, he is still alive and right here with her. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for him to return to normal, because she **will** be there.

All this time with Nick, even if he wasn’t _really_ there, had given her more time on her hands that she knew what to do with. A lot of the time, she thought about their future together. She fantasized about all the adventures that they would go on once he got instated as an Officer of the law. She thought about when they would get married or if they were even allowed to. She wondered if they were able to have kits together (luckily both Fox and Rabbit young are called kits), and what they would look like.

And all that time also allowed her to learn some of his mannerisms pretty well. She saw how his tail twitched and how his eyes had a certain glint when he got into a mischievous mood. After she saw that for the first time, he took her change of clothes while she was showering (she still didn’t know if she didn’t close the door all the way or if he could open doors). She saw how his eyes light up as she returns from wherever she had to go. She learned that he can get really moody over some things, like if she was busy and didn’t have the time to give him a good scratching. It was only one time and Nick was a total diva about it.

Nature’s call demanded that she leave the bed in search of relief. Careful not to disturb him, she carefully untangles herself from Nick and heads to the bathroom. Once she finished, she checked her phone that was charging in the corner, she didn’t see any messages or missed calls. It was seven in the morning but since she didn’t have anything to do today, a warm bed and a warm blanket of a bushy tail is calling her name. She is every bit as careful getting back in bed as she was when she got out. She didn’t even need to adjust as Nick shifted to accommodate her and his tail draped itself back over her. She waited to see if he was awake but the lack of any additional movements suggested otherwise. It was unbelievably cozy and didn’t take long to fall back asleep.

_Zzz... Zzz... Zzz..._

It must be around noon with how bright it is and Nick’s eyes don’t appreciate the sunlight that bleeds through the blinds and lands on his face. He tries to preserve whatever sleep that still remains by burying his nose into Judy’s neck and using her ears as an impromptu sleep mask. Her light flowery scent fills his head and is infinitely more relaxed.

He’s in bed with Judy. _Again._

He shifts a little and almost sighs in relief, this time he has clothes on. He cracks open one eye, and is glad to see that Judy is also wearing clothes. What he isn’t happy to see is that he is not in a bedroom, hers or his, and instead sees a hospital room.

He can deal with that later. Right now he’s too busy sleeping in with his Mate. He wrapped his arms around her waist and draws her closer, and focuses on her scent. It is not very strong, and he suspects that even her room wouldn’t have a strong scent either. At least compared to a Foxes scent.

Warmth blooms in his chest as she snuggles deeper into his hold. This is something he could get used to.

He hears her sigh softly “Mornin’ Slick.”

Just thinking about waking up next to her more often puts a smile on his muzzle. His tail wags and thumps against the bed.

“Good morning to you too Super Cop.”

He yelps as Judy shoots up out of his hold “NICK!”

“Do you need to yell? I’m right here and this is a hospital ya know, I don- what’s wrong?” He raises his paw to the side of her muzzle to wipe away the tears that start to fall freely.

She leans into his paw, placing her own over his “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you speak.”

“That’s funny, usually mammals are happy when I stop talking.”

“It takes a special breed of mammals to put up with your sass, so I believe you.”

“Not even gunna try and sugar coat it?”

“Nope, you need to be knocked down a peg or five.”

Her smile widens and her tears flow even faster now as she pulls him into a hug _“I’ve missed you”_

“You make it seem like I died or something.”

“You went savage again.”

_“oh.”_ He was quiet, almost inaudible “How long?”

“Fifteen days.”

It takes a second for Nick to register the reality of the situation. On the bright side? At least it wasn’t as long as the first time. On the down side? He lost thirty eight days of his life, thirty nine if he includes the time when he last encountered Agnes, since Bellweather had shot him with the Night Howler serum. That’s four and a half weeks! Little over a month! His hearing fades to white noise, his vision blurs with unshed tears. He tightens his hold on Judy as his anguish overwhelms him.

Judy for her part, was mostly silent. She just buries herself deeper into his hold as his shoulders begin to shake and he starts to sob. She never expected him to break down, she expected him to bottle everything in. She thought he could take whatever life threw at him and keep going, but this just serves as a reminder that he’s just a mammal (no matter how great he is). She strokes the back of his head and his ears in an attempt to comfort him.

“So much time of our lives gone. Time that was taken from me, taken from you.

Despite the sadness he feels, he relaxes as she strokes his ears “We have some of the best doctors helping us, I’m sure that it’s only a matter of time before they figure out what’s going on and fix it.”

Her optimism makes him crack a smile. He leans down and licks away the trail of tears off of her muzzle.

“We should call the doctors now that you’re awake.” Judy didn’t wait for him to respond and pressed the call nurse button.

Due to them being a special case, they had nurses dedicated to them and there was always one in the immediate vicinity alongside the hospital security should anything happen. It wasn’t long until someone entered the room. He was a Red Fox todd who looked extremely similar to Nick with the exception of a white accents instead of black. Judy begins to speak but Nick isn’t listening. His eyes are locked onto this new Fox in the room. He seemed surprised but he started to get excited and stepped toward them.

Nick grabs Judy around the waist and pulls her onto his lap and lets loose a low growl. She squeaks in surprise and her ears redden.

Judy was about turn to Nick and question him when she hears the Vet mumble to himself “Thesis on subject’s mental state appears to be accurate. Further examination is needed to confirm.”

She turns back to the other Fox and sees him jot down notes on a clipboard. When he looks up, he sees her questioning gaze and chuckles sheepishly.

“Sorry, it’s a habit.”

“What thesis are you talking about?” The Vet turned his attention back to Nick.

“We believe that due to your repeated turn to a savage state, you will be experiencing some behavioral changes, such as an increased connection to your baser emotions and instincts.” He pockets the pen and gestures them to follow him “Now that your awake, we need to perform some tests.”

He leads them out to the hall and toward the elevators.

“We have been monitoring the brain activity of all those affected by Night Howlers, and we have been noticing changes in everyone’s behavior, and not everyone has been affected the same way. Normally I wouldn’t be telling you this but since it’s the same thing that’s affecting you, you need to know this information. Nick has been the only one who has returned to a savage state after receiving the antidote. The others-”

“ _Actually”_ Judy and the Fox turn to Nick, who’s ears are flat against his head. He is looking away away from the both of them and seems to be feeling guilty if the look on his face is to be believed.

“I remember some of the time that I was savage and this is not the second time, it’s the third.”

Judy takes a sharp inhale and they both freeze. They look at him with wide disbelieving eyes.

“You remember being savage?”

_“Three times?!”_

The Vet and Judy speak simultaneously. He had pulled out his pen once more and started to scribble down on the clipboard while Judy had started to panic. How could she miss something like that?

“I’m pretty sure that Judy went savage at the same time.”

Maybe that’s how.

“She did?”

“ _I did?!_ When?”

“Remember when you elbowed me after we had lunch with Agnes?”

That.. made a lot of sense actually. It as lead answered the question on how that happened.

“Could you describe the experience on the way to the examination room?” He motioned for them to continue walking.

Nick followed as he scrunched his face and concentrated as his mind tried to recall details “Everything was... simple. Like how I viewed the world and how i reacted to anything.”

“Could you give an example?”

“Hmm... I remember my thought process was rudimentary at best. Hungry? Food. Tired? Nap. Mate? Scratches.”

Despite the circumstances, Judy couldn’t resist cracking a smile “Is that all you want me for? The scratches?”

“What can I say? Your fingers are magic.” Nick waggled his eyebrows and Judy couldn’t help but giggle. The levity was very welcomed by the two, they had enough seriousness for quite awhile.

_*Ahem*_ “We’re here.”

Here being a simple examination room.

“You and the others have been regularly monitored to find any changes in your brain activity. And now that you have regained your sanity, we believe that now is the time that we’re going to make bigger strides in finding the cause of what is causing your degradation.”

“Degradation?”

The Vet turns to Judy, and now it’s her turn to turn somber “I was waiting to tell him when we were alone.”

“It’ll be easier to show you.”

The Vet goes to the desk in the room and pulls out a folder. He reaches inside and pulls out a image of what looks like a brain, but it’s really colorful.

“This is the brain activity of a healthy Red Fox, me specifically since I can’t show you anyone else’s. See all these yellow lines? Those are the signals that the brain sends in between neurons. The more lines you see in one area of the brain means the more your using a specific section, like the frontal lobe which is responsible for things like personality, behavior, emotions,

judgment, planning, problem solving 

speech, intelligence, concentration, self awareness, etcetera etcetera. And each of these can be narrowed down to specific sections of the frontal lobe like here, here and here.” He points to various spots on the image where there are large groupings of the yellow lines. He then pulls out another image “This one is yours from yesterday, see the difference?”

“The yellow lines are in different places.”

“Yes, more specifically there is less activity in the parts of the brain where self awareness and speech are, and more activity where emotions and behavior are. This has been consistent since you have been admitted here two weeks ago. However, now that may have changed so we are going to need to do some more tests to see if there are anymore changes.”

“Ok then, when do we start?”

“Right now.”


	20. Déjà Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit Content Ahead

It’s been a week since Nick had returned to “normal” and everyday the Vet has been doing tests to monitor Nick and Judy for any further changes. Nick as it turned out, to no ones surprise, that he had suffered the most changes. The increase in activity for behavior and emotions hadn’t changed, but what has changed is that while Nick’s brain activity has somewhat equalized, his impulse control hasn’t returned. His restraint and self control was basically shot. He had none, nada, zip, zilch, zero.

First example was when a Rabbit buck employee started to flirt with Judy. She had tried to explain that she was already in a relationship, but he was more than a little insistent and hadn’t let her. Just when Judy has had about enough, Nick came in behind her and snarled at him, the Rabbit did the smart thing and ran away.

Judy turns to reprimand Nick but he grabs her muzzle and drags her into a kiss. It’s hungry and possessive, he puts his free paw on her back and pulls her close to him. When he licks her two front teeth, Judy’s knees buckle. Nick moves his paw that was on her back to her rear and picks her up, bringing her to his eye level. He pulls his lips away from her and he tilts her chin up to start to nip at her throat. She doesn’t get any time to gather herself before he rubs his cheeks against her neck and jaw, heavily marking her. His scent floods her head and her eyes roll back.

Judy was just being dragged along for the ride for the most part. Never before had Nick done this and she wanted more, she wrapped her legs around him and locked her feet behind him. He lets go of her muzzle and moves his paw behind her head to grab her ears, and he pulls just hard enough to keep her muzzle up and he licks from the bottom of her throat to her chin.

“You’re **mine**.” He lets go off her ear and kisses her full on the lips and when she tries to deepen the kiss he pulls away.

“I want only you and no one else.” She squeals in delight as he combs his claws though her tail

“ **No one** else can have you.” Both paws on her behind, he pins her against the wall.

“Say it.” He growls in her ear, his warm breath tickles her and causes her to shiver in excitement.

She doesn’t. She’s too busy catching her breathe after he took it away. He growls a little louder, his paws are large enough that his fingers are able to reach the inside of her thighs from where he is holding her and she gasps as he starts to trace his claws in swirling patterns.

His voice is just a whisper now _“Say it.”_

Her ears burn the same color as his coat “I’m yours.”

His tail wags and his smile grows “I love you Judy.”

Judy’s tail flicks rapidly and a dopey smile plants itself on her muzzle at the memory. It was the first time he said that to her and for the rest of that day, Nick had refused to be further than arms reach away from her.

The second example was when he started to groom her while she was on muzzletime her parents. He just sat down behind her in the middle of the call and pulled her against him. He started with no warning to Stu’s horror, Bonnie’s amusement, and Judy’s embarrassment.

“Could you stop? Please.” She covered her eyes with her paws.

He stops only for a second “No.” and he continues again. Judy ended up continuing the call because as embarrassed as she was, it felt really nice.

When she brought up how clingy Nick has been with the Vet, what he said surprised her.

“Thatt probably because it’s the beginning of January.”

“What’s special about January?”

“Fox mating season.” Judy’s ears quickly redden and her eyes widen. “He’s going to be much more physical with you, and he’s going to be jealous of anyone who spends any amount of time with you. Could be something as simple as saying hi that triggers him, and he’ll want to claim his territory.”

“Could.. could it have influenced his feelings for me in anyway?”

“Are you asking if mating season will cause him to say or do something that he normally wouldn’t?”

She nods.

“No, if he didn’t have feelings for you, then mating season wouldn’t affect him. How much it affects him is a strong sign in how much he loves or doesn’t love you.”

“What should I expect if it’s affecting him pretty strongly?”

“Soreness, weakness in the legs, and sleep depravation.”

“Is there anything we can do to prevent that from happening to him?”

“I was talking about you.”

She swore that he could’ve seen her blush show through her fur.

“Don’t worry, I doubt you’ll be getting out of bed.”

He left laughing as Judy threw whatever she could get her paws on at him.

For awhile after that, she couldn’t look at Nick without blushing heavily. And whenever Nick questioned her, she tried to play it off but she knew that it didn’t work.

The bathroom door opens and Nick walks out with only a pair of shorts on as he dries his fur with a towel “The bathroom is free now if you want to use it.”

Judy didn’t listen to a word he said as she eyed his shirtless form. He looks over and sees her eyes glued to his chest and stomach. Seeing the desire in her eyes makes something click his head. He grins and struts over to her, her eyes never leaving his exposed torso.

He leans over and whispers in her ear “Like what you see?”

“Yes.”

He grabbed both her paws in one of his and pinned them above her head. He positioned himself between her legs which immediately wrap around his waist.

“I also like what I see.”

He stares into her eyes as he says that. He glides his paw over her side and brings to to a rest over stomach where he uses his claws to tease the waistband of her sweats. She wants to grab his fur, grab his muzzle and kiss him, grab his paw and make him stop teasing and touch her already, but his grip kept her paws above her head, leaving her unable to do anything but lie under him. Trapped and at his mercy.

“But you know what I want to see more?”

“What?”

“I want to see you underneath me, like you are now, but I want to see you moaning and squirming. I want to touch you.” At every pause he places a kiss starting from her collarbone going all the way to the inside of her ear.

“I want to make you shudder every time I put my claw on you.” His claws ghost over her stomach.

“I want to taste you.” He licks the inside of her ears in small passes, from the bottom to top then back to the bottom. He blew a small gust along the same path.

He had her squirming. He stopped to hover his nose over her, breathing in her scent.

“It’s only a matter of what you want me to do.”

“Everything”

Nick’s tail wags furiously and he starts to breathe heavily “Good answer.” His paw dips into her panties and cups her warmth.

_“Nick!”_ She grinds into his paw but he pulls away just enough so that her efforts are in vain.

“I love how you say my name” Her back arches and she gasps as she feels his claws play with her nub.

_“Ah!”_

He presses a finger into her. Her legs’ grip on him almost squeezed his breath away. She squeezes her eyes shut but Nick isn’t having it

“Look at me.”

She opens her eyes and meets his own. They are clouded over with lust and want. He leans down and Judy reaches for a kiss but he kept going past her and what he did was that he grabbed the hem of her shirt with his teeth and pulled it as high up as it can go, exposing her bra. The action sends shivers along her body and she almost screams when he licks her stomach.

“You’ve taken care of me, you’ve encouraged me, you’ve loved me.”

The stimulation from his paws and his words give her pleasure in different ways. Her heart can’t take much more, it’s filled with warmth as Nick continues talking. He removes his paw from her panties to grab her bra and moves it up, revealing her small pert breasts.

“And I love you.” He licks her nipple and this time she actually does scream.

“I love your voice.” Nick alternates licks, nips, and blowing small streams of air while his paw returned to where it was to make her squirm. She writhes in his grip and her breath is sporadic. He can feel her twitching around his fingers and he redoubles his efforts. He presses his cold nose on her nipple and listens to her squeak of surprise.

Nick feels her clamp down on his fingers with tremendous strength “Cum for me.”

“ **Ahh-!** ” he cuts her off with a deep kiss.

Her legs quiver before clamping down around his waist and she struggles against his grip. When her movements die down and all her energy is spent, he releases her. Her eyes are glossy but they still focus on him. Drawing his paw out of her sweats releases her scent that was trapped and it’s wonderful, his member twitches and strains against his shorts. He brings his paw to his nose and inhales, savoring her scent, before licking his paw clean.

Judy’s eyes widen and her arousal spikes again.

Nick grabs Judy’s hips and grinds himself into her. They both groan and Judy reaches down, grabbing his waistband. She pulls it down and frees the restrained organ. It pops out and Judy sees it for the first time at full mast, which is a far cry from when it is in its sheathe. She can probably grab it with both paws and there still would be extra. It’s an angry red and bobs to his heartbeat. She’s about to touch out when he pulls away.

“Hey!”

Nick pulls his shorts off altogether and Judy follows his lead, stripping off all her clothes as well. They are naked in front of each other for the first time because of a conscious decision. The way he looks at her is like she is priceless art and it makes her excited.

“I want you.”

“You can have me.”

He grabs her knees and brings them up. Like this he was able lean in for a closer look. Judy is a bit embarrassed but forgets it as he begins.

It starts off by kissing her thighs. He moves slowly between each side, placing them equaling the same distance away from the center.

Judy reached over and took ahold of his ears and tried to bring her legs down to wrap around his head but he added strength to his grip to keep them right where they were.

“You said that I can have you, so you will lie still and take whatever I give you.” Judy let out small whimpers, submitting to her Mate.

His visage formed a grin as he smelled her arousal grow. Deciding that she needed a bit longer to stew, he postponed by scraping on her mons with his teeth.

To keep her paws busy, she shoved one in her mouth to stifle herself from making sounds.

Nick stopped, pulled away, and let go of one of her legs to pull her paw away.

“I want to hear everything, and you will not take your eyes off of me.”

Nick returned the paw to her knee and pulled it back up and spread both further apart and let go. He didn’t take his eyes off of her, making sure that she obeys him. When she doesn’t do anything, he smiled. She deserves a reward.

One paw softly rakes across her fur and the other teases the entry to her love tunnel. His lips move over her bean and latches on, letting his tongue circles around it. The suddenness of these actions leaves no time for her to prepare. She kicks her legs out and grab at the sheets, doing anything to stop herself from trying to pull him deeper.

He growls. She freezes. His eyes were dilating.

“I said lie there and take it.”

If he is able to speak then it’s not serious.

“Then give it to me.”

His scent explodes. He dives in, lapping her quim aggressively. Alternating from licking, to dipping his tongue in, to sucking her lip. His barrage demolished the last of her defenses, reducing her to a mass of moaning hormones. He release was quick and ruthless.

His Prey is out of breath and ready to breed. All of his administrations left her receptive. Bringing her closer, he readies himself by pressing the tapered tip of his carrot against her slit, Judy bites her lower lip in anticipation and she eagerly watches. He pushes in and they both groan at the strain. How was he able to do this before if she was this narrow now?

Nick closes his eyes and savors the feeling of his Mate. Judy grabs ahold of his muzzle and drags him down to kiss him, to which he responds with vigor. Judy loses herself in the sensations that he gives her, she feels him throbbing in her, and she smells his powerful musk and his desire. Each thrust went tip to knot, each push drives into her and it feels like he’s trying to stab straight through her and into the mattress.

There’s just something that feels so _right_ having her Mate dominate her like this.

He starts to speed up, and his whines are appreciated. They let her know just how much he is enjoying this. His thrusts are wild and erratic now but they haven’t lost any of the power behind them. The sound and feel of his testes slapping against her makes her excited beyond belief.

“Judy.” She is barely lucid enough to understand him “I’m going to knot you.”

Her muscles squeeze tightly in response and he is almost trapped much to his surprise. With a firm grasp on her hips, he pushes against her with amazing strength. With an audible pop, she is forced to accept the knot and they both cry out in climax. The liquid warmth floods her with no escape. He collapsed on top of her and he tries to catch his breath. They lay together in blissful silence, and she feels him spurt rope after rope of his seed into her.

“How long _*pant*_ does the knot last?”

“Twenty.. to thirty minutes.”

“Oh sweet cheese and crackers.”

“Mine.” He marks her, drenching her in his scent. He rolls over, bringing her to lay on top of him.

Another few minutes and he still cumming _“Oh my god it’s still going!”_

“That’ll end soon.”

Judy sits up and sees how far her stomach has deformed “That can’t be good for me.”

“I know, it’s great.” He grabs her and pulls her back down to his chest, holding her and nuzzling into her neck.

“It’s going to make a mess in here.”

“Just let it out in the toilet, I’ll carry you to the bathroom before pulling out.”

“Are were going to have to do that every time?”

“We could get plastic sheets.”

“Nick! That’s not funny.”

“I’m being completely serious.”

The sound of the door opening causes both their heads to snap toward it. In walks Felicity, Ashe, and the Vet who stops when they see the sight before them. Nick quickly grabs the blanket and covers Judy with it

The Vet is the only on to speak “You have visitors.”

“We see that.”

“Oh yeah, Judy?”

“ _Yeah?”_ She was getting annoyed that they were still in here.

“I told you so.” He left before she can throw anything, knowing what it will be covered with.


	21. Discharged

“What were you thinking?! In a hospital?!”

“Can you come back later? Preferably when you forget this ever happened.”

“Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t Mate in a hospital! It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, there are still rules!”

“You can lecture me all you want later but can you seriously come back later?”

“Fine, but don’t think this is over. I’ll be back in an hour but I’ll still be nearby so you better not try anything else or I’m busting in here.”

When the door closed behind them, Nick sighs in relief.

“So that happened.”

“How can you be so calm?”

“Do you remember how many family members I have? This happens all the time.”

The couple lie together in silence.

“Doesn’t make it any less of a mood killer.”

They waited until Nick felt himself soften. Just like he said, he carried Judy to the bathroom room to let her drain without worrying about making a mess.

“I don’t think I can stand by myself.”

“I was that good huh?”

“Just help me up.”

Nick picked her up bridal and carried her back to the bed. He gathered their clothes and started to get dressed, but takes him a bit longer than Judy as he’s too busy watching her get dressed.

When Felicity returns, Nick is dozing with Judy curled into his side. At least they listened to her.

_*Ahem*_

Judy sits up when she realized that they’ve returned but Nick drags her back to him.

“Nick! Your Mom is here.”

“I know.”

Felicity rolls over to the bed and pulls his ear.

Hard.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go! Let go!”

“Then get up you lazy todd!”

“Okay, just stop damnit!”

“Don’t talk to me like that!” She pulls harder.

“OW! Okay I’m sorry! Please stop!”

“How many times have I told you to be respectful?”

“Apparently not enough.” Judy couldn’t resist.

Ashe, who has been quiet the entire time, snorted and Felicity felt her lip curl upwards.

“So was there any reason that the two you felt that it would be a good idea to Mate in the hospital?”

“Was there any reason that you decided to come into the room? Are you going to tell me that out of three Foxes, none of you were able to able to smell what was going on?”

“Why would we be in the lookout for that smell?”

“We have been locked within a small section of the hospital for little under two weeks so sorry for having a little pent up energy! And having the both of us share a room isn’t exactly discouraging us.”

“That doesn’t matter you should have some self control!”

“...”

“ _Right.._ Bad choice of words.”

“HA! He’s like a horny teenager again.”

“Shut up Ashe! All Foxes are like that right now and you know it, and at least I have a Mate to **OW!!** What the hell Judy!”

“Don’t say it like that’s all I’m here for!”

“You know it’s not like that, if I had the option I would wine and dine you but that not really an option right now. I asked the Vet to bring some things in for us but he said that he had better things to do.”

“That actually reminds me. The Vet said that he has some great news but Judy ran him off before he could say anything.”

“He said plenty.” Judy crossed her arms and scowled. If there was one thing that annoyed her more than anything it was the words ‘I told you so’. It was something she picked up due to having the amount of brothers and sisters that she had.

“What was the news?”

“He said that you may not be here much longer, but he didn’t elaborate.”

“Well where is he?”

“He was waiting outside with us but he was called over by a nurse.”

“How long will it be until he comes back?”

The door opens at that moment and in walks a nurse “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“No.”

“Alright, so we have good news for the two of you. We have a trial version of some treatments that may be able to help with your condition.”

“That’s great!” Nick and Judy couldn’t wait to leave the hospital and now they were one step closer to freedom.

“However-” of course there’s a ‘but’ “this will not reverse any changes or damages already suffered, this will just prevent any more from occurring. Now, since this is a still in its trial stages you will be staying here a bit longer so that we can be positive that the medication will work as intended but we all have high hopes that it will work.” She pulls out two pill bottles and reads the labels, and gives one to each of them “Take one in the morning and one more if you feel like you might be overwhelmed but no more than two a day, and that goes for both of you. Do not mix them, they are tailored for you specifically and may not work if they are not taken correctly.”

“How long until we are able to leave?”

“We now know what to keep an eye out for but that being said, we would like to keep you for at least four more days to monitor you. The others have already been given medication and all seems to be going well so far.”

“When would I be able to go to work again?”

“You will be able to go back as soon as you are released.”

“YES!”

“You workaholic.”

The nurse had announced her leave but only Felicity and Ashe heard her.

“It’s not bad to like what you do.”

“I never said it was.” Nick booped her nose making it twitch

“Hey, cut it out. You know it doesn’t stop.”

“Why do you think I did it?”

The two vixens watch them with different thoughts.

As much as Felicity doubted the relationship Nick had with Judy at first, she had grown to adore the Bunny while waiting for Nick to come to his senses. They talked, they played some games that she brought to the hospital to kill the boredom, and she even met Bonnie and Stu when they came to visit. She and Bonnie hit it off almost if not immediately, she attributed it to both of them parenting troublemakers. Stu had also been a quick friendship but not to the same level as Bonnie. And as much as Ashe ragged on Nick, she wanted what he had, a loving Mate who could put up with her bullshit because seriously, how Judy could put up with his is a mystery to her (if she knew then she wouldn’t still be single). She watched Nick and Judy interact and saw how happy they were even if they could annoy the shit out reach other, mostly Nick annoying Judy.

An orderly knocks on the door before sticking her head in “Visitation hours are over in ten minutes so please keep that in mind.”

Ashe thanks her for the reminder “Liss, we should be leaving now anyway. You still need to get some more paint before the store closes.”

She looks as if she’s about to protest but ultimately doesn’t. She gives Nick a hug goodbye “There better not be a repeat of today.”

“Okay.”

“And I don’t mean getting caught.”

“...”

“Nick.”

“...”

“Nicholas.”

“Ok I promise.”

_*Sigh*_ “Judy?”

“I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Thank you.”

When they leave Judy turns to Nick “So.. what was that about having the Vet bring something in something for us?”

“If I tell you then that ruins the surprise.”

“It’s not a surprise if I know something is coming.”

“Yes it is, I just have to make sure that you aren’t expecting it.”

“That just gives me higher expectations.”

“Well then I guess that I just need to meet those expectations.”

As they go back and forth, they slowly draw closer to one another until they reach the middle and their lips meet. Nick places one paw on her cheek and the other reaches behind her and lightly runs his claws along her sensitive ears which causes shudders to run up her spine. Judy pulls away just enough to separate the kiss “You sure you can’t just tell me?”

“I’m sure.”

“What about a hint?”

“Nope.”

They continue like that until eventually they fall into a comfortable silence, cuddled together until they fall asleep in each other’s arms. The next couple of days fly by with the hope of finally being able to leave and continue their lives. Both Nick and Judy’s parents visit and they make the best out of their circumstance by bringing a laptop with a furflix account so since then they’ve been binge watching Pawnisher and by the fourth day they are bored again and excited to finally leave.

Judy practically runs through the front doors “Finally! Freedom!”

Waiting on the curb is Bonnie, Stu, Liss, and Ashe. They had all planned to go out to eat together to celebrate their release from the hospital.

“Where’s Nick?”

Judy looks behind her and sees that her Mate is not there “He was right behind me.”

It wasn’t long until he came though the doors but it was long enough that Judy was getting impatient.

“How come it took so long?”

“Maybe next time you should wait until the Vet finishes speaking before running off.”

Liss and Ashe snicker as Bonnie and Stu shake their heads.

Judy drops her ears, cross her arms, and narrow her eyes “All he was gunna do is tease me some more.”

Indeed, since that day the Vet had begun to tease her and never failed to embarrass her or make her blush.

“I tease you all the time, I would think that you’d be used to it by now.”

“I can’t get away from you, but I definitely can get away from him.”

Nick picks her up in a massive hug that lifts her off the ground and shakes her side to side “Aww, I can’t get away from you either.”

“Nick! Put me down! I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes you did.” He starts to pepper small kisses on her face and muzzle.

Judy squeals and tries to push him away but it was done in a weak manner and the shaking of her tail betrayed her annoyed demeanor.

_*Ahem*_ they stop and look at Stu “Our reservation is in twenty minutes, so we need to get going now.”

They stop and Nick puts her back down but keeps one arm around her and keeps her pressed against his side. They get into Felicity’s van as it was the only vehicle that they had in Zootopia could fit the six of them and accommodate Felicity at the same time. The conversion is lively and spirits are high, the happiest one was Judy and her energy was contagious. Nick for one had never been happier being back in the streets of Zootopia.

“We used to come here all the time when Nick was a little kit, it was his absolute favorite restaurant.”

“Still is, but they got a lot more popular so walk-ins are almost impossible and I don’t want to get a reservation if it’s just me.”

They pull into the parking lot of the restaurant which was named ‘The Coup’. The inside was a rustic farm theme with a lively interior.

Ashe takes a look around and chuckles “Seems like you have a thing for country stuff huh?”

“What’s not to like? They got good music, good food, Cowboys, and cute girls.” He hugs Judy to his side.

Stu pats him on the back “I like him Jude, he’s got good taste.”

Liss and Bonnie don’t wait up for them and head inside ahead of them “Wilde, party of six.”

“Right this way Ma’am.”

Nick is the first one to notice that those two had gone ahead of the rest of them and they go inside looking for them.

“What took you so long?”

“We we’re discussing the nuances of all things Country.”

“Sounds fascinating.”

“It truly is, there aren’t many mammals left in the city who appreciates the simple things anymore.”

“If that’s the case, then you should visit our warren. We would love to have you and Judy visit sometime then we can show you genuine country.”

Judy’s ears perk and she practically vibrates with excitement “That sounds like an amazing idea. I could show you around Bunnyburrow and-”

“GET OUT OF HERE YOU SAVAGES!!”


	22. It Never Ends

The entire restaurant went quiet in shock.

The mammal who had yelled was in a group, but apparently was alone in his protest against Nick and Judy. The Caribou buck was glaring heatedly at the small mammals while a doe tried to get him to calm down.

“Leave them alone Zeke.”

“No! I want them to get the fuck outta here! It’s bad enough that they’re allowed to walk freely but there’s no way that they should be able to be around civilized mammals!” He tried to take a step toward them but two other bucks intercepted him and started to corral him away from the two families.

“I think it’s time we should go.”

“Why are you defending them?! You guys remember what that Bear did to Josiah? All those savages should be put down!”

“Ezekiel!” The doe covers her mouth in shock.

Judy was trying her best to remain calm while Nick has been digging his claws into his thighs in an attempt to restrain himself from attacking the threat to his Mate and their family, it got to the point that his claws punctured his pants and drew a little blood. Stu, Bonnie, Liss, and Ashe are all horrified at what he was saying, and they couldn’t stay quiet.

“How dare you!”

“They did not choose to be poisoned.”

“None of this is their fault.”

“Don’t blame the victim’s, blame Bellweather.”

“They can still go savage and hurt others and how they feel about it or whose fault it is doesn’t matter. All that matters is that they are a danger to anyone and everyone around them. I mean just look at him.”

He points out Nick specifically, who looks like he is about to rip into the buck. His hackles are raised and his teeth are visible as he starts to growl. The mammals who looked ready to step in to help aren’t so sure anymore, afraid to get close and the mammals who were unsure before now fear the terrifying sight of this predator.

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

‘Remember to breathe.’

He pulled the bottle of prescriptions out and took one, which was the second one today and everyone watched as he did. The effect was immediate, his tense posture and agitated demeanor melted away completely. His tail and ears went limp, the growling died off, and his eyes glossed over. This is the first time Judy had seen what it does after the second dose. The first is similar but it was nowhere near that strong as what was happening now.

She spoke to him in a quiet voice, a paw on his shoulder and her ears limp “Nick? How do you feel?”

He slowly turned his head to look at her but didn’t acknowledge her any further than that. Judy felt a paw on her own shoulder, she turned to see Bonnie who was shaking her head.

“I think we should go.”

Judy couldn’t find her voice anymore so she just nodded her response. As they were about to leave the Manager came out to see what the ruckus was, which the present employee’s explained and caught him up to speed. The Caribou was promptly banned and an apology was given to Nick and Judy with the promise that their meal was on the house. They declined the offer and gave a quick thank you before they left as they were no longer in the mood to be out and about.

Judy had led Nick to the car as it impossible for him to recognize which car was theirs, let alone get to it. The ride to Nick’s was quiet, the only time there was a reaction from Nick was when Judy sat down next to him in the back seat and he started to sniff the air and his nose brought him to Judy where he lazily buried it into her scalp and drew long breaths of her scent.

When they arrived Judy brought him to his condo and the others brought up what little they had. When they questioned if she wanted them to stay, she denied and asked if she and Nick could be alone.

“Of course dear. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I don’t live too far and I don’t have much to do most days.”

Nick was still pretty out of it but he was much more aware. She brought him to the couch where she laid him down and put his head in her lap while she scratched his ears. This was the first time she was in his den and it was marred by this ugly experience. She imagined a romantic date: candles, wine, dinner, soft music and slow dancing, then afterwards he would bring her home to claim her. Not her dragging him back because he had to take medicine that was apparently a very strong dissociative to stop himself from going savage again.

“Judy?” Her ears perked but looking at him told her that he was still under the influence of his meds, lucid enough to talk but not for long as it seemed like he was tired and in the verge of falling asleep.

“Yeah?”

“Why do you put up with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you put up with me? I lied, I hid things from you, I left the morning after we mated in your apartment while you showered, and I hadn’t been very considerate of you and how this-” _*yawn*_ “-affected you. After the first time in the hospital, I tried to avoid you because I couldn’t todd up and talk to you.”

“If you love someone, then you love all of them. Their accomplishments and their mistakes, the good and bad. You forgive the bad because the good outweighs it”

“What good do I have that made you chose a todd over any buck?”

“I didn’t have to pretend around you. Everyone thinks that because I’m a Rabbit that I’m weak and timid or that because I’m a doe that all I want is to have a bunch of litters until I’m too old. You treated me like an individual with unique desires and respected me more than anyone. Even my own family expected me to give up and live like they do.”

“You’re too strong to conform to anyone else’s expectations.” That comment made a warmth grow in her chest.

“You’re the only one who ever called me strong.”

Nick turned his head and his nose almost touched her stomach.

“You smell good.”

“Huh?” That is quite a change in subject and it caught her off guard.

“You smell good.”

“What do I smell like?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you describe it?”

Not hearing a response, she looks down at him and saw that his eyes were closed and see his chest rising and falling in even breaths so she knew that he fell asleep. What did he smell on her? Well whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Looking down at her sleeping mate, she decided that he had the right idea, sleep sounded wonderful and she really needed to get her schedule back to normal which she had been working on since she was told that they would be going home. Unwilling to disturb Nick from his sleep, she stayed in her current spot and relaxed until sleep took her.

...

“Ya boss, we got him.”

“Good, bring him here. I need to have a chat with him.”

“What about the vixen?”

“Kill her, no loose ends that we need to worry about.”

They take all the valuables and all that they left behind was a yellow shoe.

...

Judy woke up tucked into a comfy bed with warm blankets and the smell of coffee permeating the air. Nick’s musk was saturated in the fabric and it brought a smile to her face knowing that he must’ve moved her to the bed sometime during the night. Last night, she only got to see the living room and the kitchen but even then she didn’t pay to much attention to the decor. But now that she had a good night’s rest and the light of the morning, she could see the state of the room with a fresh eye.

Coffee colored paint for the walls compliments white accents and ebony furniture. The room was clean and organized, completely different than how she thought Nick’s room would be like. Leaving the bedroom and going into the living room she saw the color-scheme continued throughout the entire residence. The only thing that was out of place was a large stain on the wall which hasn’t been cleaned or couldn’t be.

“Mornin’ Carrots.”

“Good morning, Nick.”

“There’s breakfast.” He gestures to the coffee pot and microwave where a bowl of oatmeal was. She can see bananas, blueberries, and when she took a bite she can taste cinnamon too “I don’t have much that you would like so I had to keep it pretty basic.”

“Thank you, this is perfect.”

He watched her eat with a small smile.

“You excited to go back to work?”

“Absolutely. It felt like I spent more time in a hospital than I spent as an Officer.”

“Now you can go back to being Officer Toot-toot.”

“That reminds me, You’re still enrolling in the Police Academy? This semester is starting in three months so if you want to, you have to submit an application before all the open spots are taken.”

“Well first I have to check if they would even let me join. I would think that our condition would count as a disability so they may not let me.”

“They didn’t fire me so I would think that they would have no problem with you.”

“But you were already an Officer and you’re unionized so they probably couldn’t fire you if they wanted to. It probably helps that you don’t have a video of you going savage and attacking another mammal.”

“That was clearly self defense.”

“That didn’t stop that Deer yesterday.”

“One: he was a Caribou, and two: he was clearly in the minority. There were plenty of mammals standing up for you.”

“That doesn’t mean that they would be comfortable with me becoming a cop.”

“Have more faith in others. Sometimes they might surprise you.”

She finished her food but before she can get up Nick had already grabbed it and took it to the sink and began to wash it.

“I could’ve done that.”

“Your a guest in my den, so I will do it. Besides, it’s time for you to head to work.”

“It is? IT IS!” Nick smiles as he watched Judy zoom around, looking through her stuff for her uniform and rushing to get ready.

He didn’t smile because of Judy being late (that’s just mean), but because this is just so domestic.

This is so domestic and he wants it all. Waking up next his Mate, seeing her with bed fur and in her pajamas first thing in the morning, the small talk, the mundane conversations, the important discussions. He wants to be the one to fuss over her when she gets sick and be the one that cheers her up when she has a bad day, he wants her to worry about him. He wants what his Mom and Dad had, and what Bonnie and Stu have now.

It surprised him to see just how fast Judy finished getting ready and he wonders is that it’s a Bunny thing (just being fast and impatient) or a Judy thing. But he supposed that he spent enough time getting ready for the both of them.

“Cya Nick, gotta go!”

“Wait a second.” He marked her along her neck and gave her a quick kiss “Go make the world a better place.”

“It won’t be long until you will too, just you wait.”


	23. The Next Step

Judy walks through the front doors of the ZPD with a smile on her face. After so long, she finally can get back to work as an Officer of the Law.

**_“HOPPS!”_** The source of the thunderous voice was next to the second story railing, the Buffalo it belonged to stared her down.

Maybe the Chief just wants to check up on her, just to make sure she’s okay.

“My office, now.” And with that he disappears from view.

Judy jogs past the reception desk, and waved hi to Ben as she did, and up the stairs. When she got to his office door it was closed, which annoyed her. She jumps and grabs the doorknob and lets her body weight to turn it for her.

“Close the door. Sit down.” He had his reading glasses on and was focused on whatever was in his desk.

What it was, she didn’t know. The desk was way too tall for her to see what it was.

His stern focus softened for just a moment “Welcome back Hopps.”

“Nice to see you Sir, I’m glad to be back.”

“With pleasantries out of the way, on to business. What is Wilde’s relationship with Anderson like?”

“Who?”

“Wes Anderson, the one who he went savage on.”

“That’s not his name. His name is Krisofferson Silverfox.”

“Hm... Just answer the question anyway, I’ll look into that later.”

“... I don’t know about now, but before Nick wanted nothing to do with Kris and Agnes. He feels like they abandoned him and his mother when they were young so when they came by to reconnect, he refused and we left. I tried to get him to forgive them but that didn’t work out.”

“Was he hostile in any way?”

“He was upset and angry but I wouldn’t say he was hostile. What’s this about, Chief?”

“Krisofferson and Agnes Silverfox have been reported missing. It’s concerning that after Mr. Wilde was released, this report was made.” Judy gasped and covered her mouth with both paws.

“He was with me all day and night, and two others for a good portion of the day. We were out in public and I’m pretty sure that we were in view of jam cams and security feeds the entire time. Plus he was in no condition to do anything, the meds he was on are very strong.”

“So he has an alibi then? Good, we can rule him out. But that still leaves us with no leads.”

Nick’s voice plays inside her mind. The story of why they went into hiding and abandoned him in the first place.

“I think I may know someone who may have motivation to do something like this.”

“Oh?”

“It has to do with why they left Nick in the first place, but Nick told me that associates of the Wilde’s and Silverfox’s had robbed Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. I don’t know if they were successful or not but they were fearful for their lives and went into hiding. Nick told me that Kris wasn’t involved but that they thought he was so he went into hiding as well to protect himself and his mate.”

“And you didn’t say any of this before because?”

“If they did rob Boggis, Bunce, and Bean then they should have filed a Police report. So when he was admitted to the hospital you would have been notified, but I didn’t know that they changed their name.”

“Give me a moment.” Bogo started to type into the computer for a moment “There is a warrant for Wes Anderson’s arrest, for the robbery of three point seven million dollars worth of valuables. There are also warrants for Owen Skip, Kylie Wolodarsky, Stan Wessel, and George Fox as accomplices. There is no warrant for Agnes.”

“Wessel? That name sounds familiar. Are there any photos of him?”

Bogo spins the computer monitor around to show Judy. The picture shows a well groomed Weasel dressed in a navy blue suit. But what strikes her as familiar is how he is standing, leaning forward with one paw perched on his lower back and the other paw holding a toothpick like a cigarette.

“I know him. I’ve arrested him before.”

“I’m assuming he also goes by a different name.”

“Duke Weaselton, I remember Nick calling him Wesselton. Pull up Duke’s picture.” When the two photos are side by side, there is no question.

Duke Weaselton is Stan Wessel.

...

“Where are the others?”

“...”

Dull thuds are followed by the sounds of cracks of bone. The small body swings back and forth on the chain tied around his wrists. His eyes are bleak and lifeless, blood drips from his mouth. Soft coughs splatter blood on the floor below him and bringing more pain to his chest.

“I know you didn’t take my money, so if you tell me where the ones who did then I’ll let you go.”

“...”

“Give it a rest Frank, you ordered his Mate killed, in front of him no less. He might as well be dead”

“Shut up Walter. Petey, cut the tail. And someone get this phone open.”

Kris flinched slightly, unnoticed by the other occupants of the room.

‘I’ll see you soon, Love.’

...

Nick had dressed in his nicer clothes, black slacks and a gray button up long sleeve. He had called Clive and apologized that he couldn’t make it to their dinner plans since the whole “I went savage” thing happened. He understood and said that he can just meet up with him and Jenny at La Ratatouille for lunch. An upscale restaurant that he had only went to when he interned at Clive’s firm, and there was a dress code and there was no way getting in without following that code.

Fingers drumming against the steering wheel is his way of letting out his anxiousness. He took his medicine that morning and it didn’t mess with him like it did the night before. If he were to describe it, it would be like he just woke up and was still groggy. However last night, he remembered taking the pill then all of a sudden he was being led to the van by Judy, then he was home. It’s different than when he takes them in the morning, it’s almost like he was on auto-pilot or like he was a passenger in his own body. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He really needs to focus on driving lest he crash or something of the like.

When he gets to the restaurant, he sees Clive and Jenny waiting by the entrance. The first thing that Jenny does is pull him a lung crushing hug.

“It’s been so long since I seen you! You used to be so little.”

“Jen, I don’t think he can breathe.”

“OH! I’m so sorry.” She lets go and Nick takes in a deep breath

“You still don’t know your own strength, huh?”

“You’re just weak. C’mon, lets go get our table.”

The inside of the restaurant is beautiful. Musicians play in the center of the room and the garçon and fille zip around on roller skates.

Where they got that idea he didn’t know but it worked.

They got a private booth ordered their food and Nick was recounting the adventures from when he cut ties with them onwards. Even after all this time, Clive and Jenny were the two mammals he could confide in. He loved his Mom, but she had enough to worry about without adding to it. He was never really that close to Ashe. Sandy was his best friend (that spot is now occupied by Judy), but she can’t relate to him. He could talk to Finnick, but the advice he would give usually wouldn’t help (he made just as much as him but he lives in a lemon of a van). He used to be extremely close to Kylie and Kris but the whole ‘I robbed the wrong mammals so I’m going to abandon everyone so that they don’t get mixed in’ thing happened.

Judy... he loved Judy more than anyone else in the world and he would give his life to and for her, but he wouldn’t tell her these things without some hesitation. The thing is, Judy is just too dammed optimistic, not that was a bad thing (he actually loved it), but she doesn’t understand. She has always been a good mammal, and she lives by the model ‘Try everything’ and saw the good in everything. She had so much hope, which he had cracked a bit when she first realized that he hustled her back when they first met and it almost shattered after the conference. But she solved what was basically an impossible case within her first three days as an Officer. She jailed two corrupt Mayors, and healed some of the rifts between pred and prey because of it. She broke so many stereotypes because she had the strongest will out of everyone he knew (and he knew everyone). She can comfort, empathize, and sympathize with him but she cannot relate to him. She never had to be beaten, never had to worry about how she would take care of her family at the age of twelve because they couldn’t support themselves. She wasn’t close to anyone who was murdered. And she came from a tight knit community where everyone relied on each other.

But Clive can relate to him. Clive was a criminal out of necessity, he quit as soon as he had the chance and he helped others because he could. As a predator who was seen as an extremely violent species, he too faced discrimination similar to Nick and had to worry about his families safety and well-being. He is the one who will give helpful advice unlike Finnick and he understood the world and it’s corruption better than Judy.

“-after working with Mr. Big, we didn’t want to do those things anymore because it was too dangerous without his protection. So we started running our food related hustles like reselling elephant sized pawpsicles, cupcakes, and drinks among other things to smaller mammals and continued that up until the whole missing mammals thing.”

“What about now? Since you know, your Mate is a cop.”

“She wants me to join the ZPD.”

Clive burst into laughter and Jenny slapped him upside the head “Don’t laugh, I think that he would be a great Officer.”

“It’s ridiculous, I know. But.. she has such high hopes for me. And I just thought that since so much trouble for my family came from being in the wrong side is the law, that by joining the law things might change. But now I don’t know if that’s even an option anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m still a savage. I have my meds, but that’s no guarantee. I need to be able to take them whenever I get stressed or I could turn again. But the last time I took them while stressed, I was in no condition to help myself let alone others. And Police work is a very stressful job.”

“You could work with her in other ways than her partner.”

“How?”

“You could be a dispatcher.. or a lawyer.”

“You would love that.”

“Yes I would and if you can’t work alongside your Mate, then she would too. Your good enough to be a lawyer now without going to school and you have a gift of getting others to admit to something that that they didn’t want to admit.”

Before dismissing it right away, Nick entertained the idea. It wouldn’t be the worst thing that he could do, and definitely a much better option than his other choices. But he still will try his best to get accepted into the ZPA, it’s the least that he can do for himself and for Judy.

“If things don’t work out with the ZPD, then I’ll consider it.”

“That’s great to hear.”

Jenny cut in “Enough talk about work, tell me about your Mate. How did you meet? What’s she like? Will you introduce us sometime soon?”

Nick smiles softly as he begins recounting his tale of adventure and how he started turning his life around.


	24. Planning A Surprise

It was pretty easy to find Duke, or Stan, whatever he preferred but getting him to talk was a different matter altogether. She didn’t want to go to Mr. Big again because one: she felt incredibly guilty about having Mr. Big threaten to kill Duke, she was a cop for carrots sake. And two: she wanted to limit how much she interacted with the mob boss. She loved FruFru like a sister, but repeatedly going to The Big House might raise more than a few eyebrows.

Duke/Stan was angry that she showed up, but the moment she said the names Boggis, Bunce, and Bean he became afraid.

“Listen, if you would just help us we could help you and hopefully help others.”

“You can stir up that hornet nest by yourself, I want nothing to do with whatever you got cooking up. It’s a good way to die a painful and slow death.”

“No way?”

“No way.”

“Stan Wessel you are under arrest for Felony Theft against Boggis Chicken Farms, Bunce Inc., and Bean Orchards.”

“H-hey now, wait a m-moment.”

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.”

“Flopsie, you can do that.”

“Yes I can, there’s a warrant for your arrest. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

“Dammit.” Stan turned to run but didn’t take two steps before a sharp prick stings his rump.

“You didn’t think that you could run, did you?” And with that his vision darkens

...

Nick, Clive, and Jenny exits the restaurant with the latter more than a little tipsy. Clive had his paw on her waist, guiding her as they walked.

“Iiiii missed you sssshhhooooo mush Nickelodeon. Remember when I youshed to call you that? You used _*hic*_ you used to watch Pigalodeon all the time when you were a kit and we babysat you. Your favorite show was... what was it?”

“You never babysat me.”

“Oh _rriiigght._ Why did I think that?”

“You just started making things up.”

Clive used his free paw to dig in his pocket and brought out a set of keys “I think we should be on our way home now. Thank you for meeting up with us on such short notice.”

“I had fun, it’s been awhile since we ate together. Maybe next time I can get Mom to come along, God knows that she missed teasing Jenny while she’s like this.”

“Which is way to often. I mean it’s only two thirty right now and she’s already drunk.”

“I’m NOT drunk. And even if I am, it’s a special occasion.”

They part ways and Nick pondered on what to do next. He had several things to do.

One: he needed to get his shit together and find out if he was eligible for the ZPA. Two: he needed to plan something special for his Mate. Despite what he said, what he had planned for Judy wouldn’t be as nice outside of the hospital and he wanted to do something special for her. Three: he needed to stock up on vegan food for Judy. If she was going to stay at his condo every once in awhile then she’s going to need food for her to consider staying more often without having to either buy takeout or skip a meal, the last bit of food that she could eat was finished this morning.

He can plan what to surprise Judy with as he knocks off the other two. The grocery store is closer than the precinct, so food first.

Browsing the prey aisles, he picked up some carrots (naturally it was the first thing he grabbed), celery, timothy hay, lettuce, lentils, among other things. While he meandered around the store his figured out what he wanted to do to surprise Judy.

The first time he opened up to Judy was on the gondola after surviving Manchas, and while it would be nice to go there again it didn’t speak to him, but he felt that he was on the right track. He remembers the wonder on Judy’s face as she watched the sunrise reflect off of the skyscrapers of Zootopia and he wanted to see that wonder again. Rainforest district was the only district that had gondolas, and that one was the only one not obscured by the massive trees.

But you know what didn’t have an obstructed view? Hot Air Balloons.

Yeah that was a great idea, he can get a balloon tour of the city around sunset when the light reflects off the buildings and when they get back home there can be a candlelit dinner waiting for them. It will take some planning to time it so that the food will be freshly done and still hot when they get there but he knew a guy he could trust going in his den while he wasn’t there and he was a great cook too. He picked up some candles and decided to upgrade his tableware to decorated porcelain dinnerware, new glass drinkware, and silver serve and flatware, along with a white tablecloth. He needs to get roses and wine still, but he’ll get them elsewhere.

It felt like he was forgetting something.

After buying what he needed here, he went home to put away the food and hide the other things until it was time, maybe this weekend.

It was three now and Judy didn’t get off of work until six. She goes in at six and leaves at five, long hours but she only works four days a week. Two hours is plenty of to cook dinner, and he’s sure that she’ll appreciate having dinner ready after a long day. Looking online for a recipe for both of them, he settled on a spinach artichoke penne pasta. It’s a simple recipe and it’s a quick one, however he doesn’t have time to clean the kitchen when he’s done but that’s fine.

It’s time to pick up his Mate.

...

After Judy tranq’ed Stan/Duke, she had brought him back to the precinct to be booked. If the things that Nick said about the three billionaires were true, and considering Duke’s words and refusal to go anywhere near anything that has to do with those individuals, she was inclined to believe them. After placing him in a holding cell, Bogo instructed her to go back to her normal duties. He said that he had a the beginnings of a plan but that he needed time and information before they can get started.

She didn’t know about time, but what she can get is information.

Her first source of knowledge is her Mate. But wether or not he is willing to open up old wounds is another story altogether. But based on what he told her already, another source of knowledge may come in the form of a small shrew.

Should she ask Big for information? She just resolved to limit how much she interacted with him, and now he may be a great source of information. Maybe later, right now she can gather as much as she can before she turned to the shrew.

For the rest of her shift she had been assigned to records, and it peeved her something fierce. At least with parking duty she was able to move around and expend her energy. But there was something that she could do while she was in records.

When Bogo had listed off the warrants for the mammals who were involved in the robbery, there wasn’t a warrant for someone named Wilde. Looking through the report she found the warrants linked to the case. Skipping the ones she knows, Judy reads though the warrants.

Owen Cunningham Skip is an albino Eurasian Otter, he has several speeding violations and had been apart of many brawls at different sports events. Kylie Sven Wolodarsky is a Virginia Opossum, no priors. George Fox is a Red Fox and he had an astonishing record of burglary, grand theft auto, felony theft, aggravated assault, and fraud. Opening George’s mugshot, she was greeted by what at first glance looked like Nick. A second glance showed the differences in appearance, such as a crisp white undercoat compared to Nick’s more cream colored undercoat. But there was no doubt that those two were related. According to his file, George has no next of kin. Parents are deceased, no spouse or significant other, and no offspring. She glanced at the clock, five fifty nine. Judy closed the computer and went to clock out.

Going to the lobby, she was surprised to see Nick conversing with Ben.

“-expect a reply?”

“You should receive a letter in the mail in two to three weeks.”

“What are you doing here Nick?”

“I’m here to pick you up. That and turn in my application.”

As soon as ‘application’ left his mouth, Judy launched herself at Nick and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“That’s great! I could start tutoring you and we can start a workout routine for you and we also-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.. hold up, one thing at a time.”

“Academy starts in three months, there’s no time to take it slow.”

“Actually Judy, with the amount of time it takes it takes for a response to be sent, he’ll most likely be in the semester after the next. Which is nine months away.” Ben could just die as he watched Judy’s excitement shatter in front of him.

“O-oh... it might take a bit longer, but that just gives you more time to prep before hand.”

“Not everything can go our way, fluff.”

“What **has** gone our way?”

“You became my Mate.”

Ben let out a small “Aww.”

“You hungry?”

“A little.”

“Well then, lets go. I made us dinner.”

“Wow breakfast and dinner, you are on a role today.”

“You can never say that I’m lazy.”

“Yes I can, that hasn’t changed.”

“I guess that you don’t want food then? Bummer, I just went to the yowl-mart to get some groceries just for you. But I’m sure that standing over a stove after a long day at work is something that you want to do.”

“Let’s not be hasty now.”

“I guess I’ll just have to eat it all by myself.”

Nick turned and walked away.

“Nick? Wait up! I won’t call you lazy!”

...

“That decides it, your the cook now.”

“Don’t I get a say in it?”

“Of course you do. You get to choose what to make.”

The banter slows into silence. Both Mates content with each others quiet company. Both relaxed in the couch watching T.V., Judy nestled her head into his chest while Nick lightly scratches her scalp. Her thoughts drift to the conundrum she was confronted with earlier.

Judy sits up, pulling away from his hold, and looks him in the eye “Nick, what can you tell me about Walter Boggis, Nathan Bunce, and Franklin Bean?”

The Fox tenses “Why are you bringing them up for?”

“Kris and Agnes have gone missing. And when I heard that, I thought about what you told me and I think that they are as good a lead as any. I talked to Bogo about it and-”

“You told Bogo?!”

“There was already a warrant on Kris, and you or your mother weren’t involved so you don’t have to worry about being charged with anything.”

“I told you that in confidence and you go and tell the Chief of Police? I have gone though so much hell to keep myself and my mom out of anyone’s radars and you just ruined all my efforts!”

“We will take them down and you won’t have to worry about them anymore.”

“Wow! I didn’t know that it’ll be that easy, I guess that all the mammals they’ve killed just didn’t try hard enough to get away. Plus, it’s not like they’ve been evading Police awareness for decades or anything.”

“Why are you being so difficult right now?”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe it has something to do with you putting a giant target on our backs!”

“Well I’m sorry but I have no choice but to do my best to find Kris and Agnes before something bad happens.”

“What makes you so sure that they’re still alive?”

“If they aren’t, then that’s an even bigger reason to bring them to justice.”

“So you tell just tell your boss: ‘My Mates family robbed some mammals a couple decades ago so they might have kitnapped his cousin?”

“I didn’t say that you family did, I told him that some associates of your family and Kris’ did. Although I don’t think that tampering with government records will go well in the long run. I mean all it took was for me to look at his mugshot and I could tell you that you look just like him.”

“I don’t want to hear anything about him.”

“Well I’m sorry to say but when you come in for questioning, you’ll have to go in depth about the events that day.”

“Wait wait wait. Questioning?”

“Well, yeah. You are one of the only mammals that we know of who can give us some insight on these mammals.”

“And what if I refuse?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review, I crave feedback and your opinions so I can assess whether I’m doing this right or not. Tell me what you think I’m doing wrong so I can correct it and tell me what I’m doing right so I can try to replicate it.


	25. Surprise?

Idris couldn’t believe his fortune (or misfortune).

The upper echelons of law enforcement has known that Nathan, Walter, and Frank had been in the shadier side of things. They never found out what exactly but being around those three himself, he just knew that something wasn’t right with them. They even made **him** uneasy, and Frank especially was something else entirely.

He had never told anyone else and only to those in higher positions than he even dared to. More than once had IA found officers in the pockets of the mammals in question but once again they did not have any evidence. Needless to say that nothing was done other than those Officers finding themselves transferred to a dead end position and where they were under watch twenty four seven, never to have privacy again (not that they were privy to that tidbit) if they weren’t outright charged and arrested.

Hopps’ has just started something comparable to the Nighthowler event. While it wasn’t as disturbing, it was no less significant. The estimated number of victims who had been affected by the billionaires was staggering, but nothing confirmed. If things works out for them, then maybe they can get the drop on them.

And maybe with the help of the Bureau, this can be over soon.

...

“What do you mean refuse?” Judy crosses her arms, staring Nick down as if he said something that was akin to a random mammal calling her cute.

“What will you do if I refuse to come in for questioning?”

“You’re going to help them by not saying anything?” She couldn’t believe him. After all they’ve been through, she’d of thought that he was more willing to help others. Kind of a big deal when he’s looking at becoming an Officer himself, who’s supposed to help everyone.

“I am **not** helping them! I’m making sure that I stay alive and in one piece.”

“But you will always live in fear, wondering if today is the day that you or someone who is close to you are no longer safe.” Did he think that he’d never be in danger? That all he’ll do is write tickets and sit in the cruiser or behind a desk all day (never mind that’s exactly what happens most days)?

“And what do you think will happen if I testify against them? Do you think that they’ll go belly up?”

“If only it were that easy. But anything worthwhile never is.” Judy places her paws on Nick’s arms She decided to pull out the big guns, dropping her ears behind her, she looks at him with sad eyes, a small frown, and quivering nose “Could you still refuse knowing that it means that they’ll continue to do what they did to you, to others?”

Nick tries to be an unwavering brick wall, but that’s useless in the face of Judy’s pleading eyes “You never take no for an answer, do you?”

“Have you ever told me no and got away with it?” Her sad expression changes one eighty into one is triumph and just a touch of smug.

He felt the corners of his lip try to lift up but the weight of the situation keeps them down. He felt tired and drained, this conversation must have aged him to at least his forties. All he wanted to do was sleep and never wake up but nnooo, Judy just had to poke her adorable nose in places it should never be.

It didn’t take much for Judy to get him to change his mind, but that last thing thing she said made him consider something else that they didn’t consider. Wether or not he cooperated with her investigation, she will continue and she won’t know what to expect. These aren’t the thugs that she was trained to deal with, and they will be experienced and packing something more dangerous than the tranq and pepper spray that she’s issued.

“If I help you, there are some things that I want you to do.” Being prepared is the first step to success. Wether it’s gathering intel for dangerous mammals for other equally dangerous mammals or participating in a TUSK raid. Being prepared is the difference between walking away fine or ending up in a ditch.

“Just because it’s your Mating season, doesn’t mean that you can-”

“It’s nothing like that, it’s just that there are some things that you are not prepared for and if you insist on doing this, you must do these things if you want my help.”

“....” Judy’s rapid foot thumps relay just how annoyed she is “What is it?”

“You need to carry a gun.”

“I already have a tranq.”

“I mean a firearm.”

She frowned “The ZPD only issues out firearms to TUSK.”

“However... Being an Officer such as yourself means that you are allowed to acquire a personal firearm without needing to get a permit or go through the waiting period. And if I’m not mistaken the ZPD allows its officers to use fursonal gear.”

“Only with permission of the Chief.”

“And once he sees the severity of the situation, I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it. Anyways there’s a couple of things that I’ll teach you that might come in handy later on such as lock picking, how to get out of cuffs and binds, and how to stalk.”

“There’s no way I’m going to carry or even own a firearm. And why do I need to learn that stuff? Other than how to stalk, I don’t see how that’ll benefit me. And why do you know how to get out of cuffs?”

“I know it because I needed it, that’s all you’re getting out of me. Knowing that stuff is not useful to a regular beat cop, but the way that these mammals roll demands that you learn this stuff if you want to live.”

“Why?”

“They like to take mammals in alive.”

“And do what with them?”

“They take what makes your species pride themselves on, so it depends. If you are a Rhino, Elephant, or some other mammals with tusks/horns then they’ll take that. Foxes, Lemurs, Beavers, etc. get their tails removed. Teeth for Bears and Hyenas. Or in your case, Bunnies, lose their ears. They’ve even skinned mammals when they’re in particularly bad mood.”

“If you knew all of that, then why haven’t you come forward with that information?”

“I don’t have proof. I was told by some mammals who worked for Mr. Big, so keep in mind that some of it may be exaggerated.”

“I thought about asking him if he knew anything about them, but I haven’t decided if I’m going to or not.”

“Don’t.”

“Why not? You just said that’s where you got that information from.”

“You may be little Judy’s Godmother, but nothing Big does is for free. If you ask for his help, then sometime later he will ask for something in return. Do Not Trust Him, he is a mob boss for a reason.”

Judy was about to object, but thought better of it. Nick knew Big longer and the fact that Big was going to kill the both of them didn’t help.

She sighed and resigned herself to Nick’s demands “Okay, but I will not budge on the firearm issue.”

“Just call it a gun.”

By now Nick has also resigned himself to his own fate. So naturally the first thing he did was to lay back against the couch.

“...That’s it? What you went through was traumatizing, and not to complain but I thought that you would’ve put up more of a struggle.”

“Don’t tempt me, if I still had half a mind I would.” He pulled his prescription out and shook it.

Judy frowned and slugged his arm “Don’t say that, you make it seem like you won’t recover.”

“First of all: Ow.” Rubbing his arm, he continued “And second: The Vets pretty much told us so.”

“So what? Couldn’t you have just a little bit of hope?”

He waved her off “You have enough for both of us so I think we’ll be fine.”

“So you would say that you are a cy _Nick_?”

“You know it.”

_*knock* *knock* *knock*_

Two pairs of ears swivel toward the door.

Nick stood up to get the door but he paused. His eyes sharpened to slits and his nose flared. The scent was of someone that he won’t forget anytime soon. He didn’t bother looking through the peep hole and opened the door.

...

Frank gazed at the bodies on the floor.

He liked Petey more than most, but not enough to let him live after the blunder than he allowed to take place. The Fox was tied and hanging in the air, so how could he get away? And to be able to kill on the way out?

“ _Foxes..._ ” That species seems to have a special talent of getting underneath his hide. His tail flicked in agitation. No matter, he won’t live long anyway. Not without medical attention, and then moment he gets to a hospital he’ll know.

At least the phone gave him all he needed. After he had gotten the phone back from his techs he was able browse it’s contents at his leisure.

...

Nick looked at the visitor with disdain.

“What do you want?”

Judy tried to look on from behind, but was unable to see who was at the door.

“I need your help.” The voice was softer than one would think for someone of his size

“You’re not getting it.” Nick closed the door in his muzzle.

“Who was that?”

“No one important.” _*knock* *knock* *knock*_ “Ignore it.” The knocking didn’t stop.

Nick was fine with the sound being a background noise, he even left to shower. Judy had also been fine for awhile but the sound was starting to grate on her nerves, and her large ears didn’t exactly help.

She opened the door with an obviously strained smile “Hi, I’m sure whatever you have to say is important but we would appreciate it if you would stop.. knocking..”

On the other side of the door is someone she never met in mammal, but was familiar with him by the picture in his warrant. The Opossum in front of her was just a tad bit taller than her (minus the ears), but was much more robust than the both her and Nick.

The visitor is Kylie Wolodarsky.

When Nick gets out of the shower, he sees Kylie in his living room, sitting down in the floor with his paws cuffed behind his back. Judy was talking to someone in the phone as she kept an eye on him.

“Why is he here?”

Her eyes flick to him just for a moment before snapping back to the marsupial “Hold on Ben.” She covers the phone’s microphone “He has a warrant for his arrest. What’s that?... oh I’m just talking to Nick... Ben says ‘Hi’... Nick says ‘Hey’.” He actually didn’t “Ok, I’ll see you later.” She hung up the phone.

“So... I didn’t actually get to say hi.”

“Usually that’s the first thing you’re supposed to say with you see someone.” Nick’s ears flittered in annoyance.

“I know, but this is important, it couldn’t wait!”

“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

“It’s about Kris!”

Judy’s ears perked “What about him?”

“He’s hurt. Bad.”

“Where is he?”

A look of uncertainty crossed his muzzle, but eventually his worry won out over his distrust of the cop.

“He’s at the old safe house. The others are trying their best to help but we don’t have anyone who knows more than first aid.”

Nick scowled. He knew of only one of the safe houses, but he also knew that they had many more. The only reason to return to that one was because they didn’t want him to find out about the other ones.

Judy however, focused on a different part of what Kylie said “Others?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	26. What Once Was Pt.1

“The object of the game is to ricochet the acorn off of as many surfaces as you can and get it into the cup. Here’s a simple demonstration.”

Wide eyed, Jason watches as he throws the seed onto the ground, where it bounces to the ceiling and it shoots into the cup.

“Woah!” Jason tries to copy what he did, but he couldn’t get the acorn to stay in the cup.

Floor to ceiling to cup was easy enough, but the acorn always rebounds out of the cup “I can’t do it, it won’t stay in.”

“Try to keep the cup as still as you can and try not to hit the center, go for the corners.” He pointed inside the cup to where the base curved into the wall.

He threw it one more time and Jason watched for what he pointed out. Jason was able to see as the acorn got caught by the curve and it spun around until it settled at the bottom.

“Oohhh.” Armed with this new information, Jason began trying it on his own. Ears folded back, eyes squinted, and sticking his tongue out of the side of his muzzle in concentration, Jason put his full focus on the task he set out to accomplish.

Focus that could be used on other things, like finishing the homework that lays forgotten on his bed. Instead, games, comics, and other miscellaneous items like his whackbat, litter the floor take all the attention away from it.

It’s been a year since Jason tried to join pack nine fourteen and a few things had changed since then. He became more manipulative, at least toward Prey. There were also things that didn’t change like he was still small for his age, like seven pounds too small. Seven pounds might not seem like much to a Wolf who would weigh an average of a hundred and seventy pounds, but for a Fox who would max out at forty to fifty, it’s a lot. Jason still had his baby face where his muzzle was still a bit short and his head was slightly too big for his body but it wasn’t as pronounced as last year.

“Jay! Kris! It’s Time For Dinner!” The sound of his Mother’s voice threw off his aim when his arm jerked as he turned to face the direction where the voice came from, causing him to miss completely.

“Coming!”

“Coming!”

The Kits answered the Vixen in unison, Food erasing any other priorities.

As they start to run toward the dining table, the same voice yelled out “You Better Clean Up In There Before You Even Think Of Eating!”

Meryl smiled and shook her head as she heard the taps of their claws against the floor stop, then head back toward the bedroom. She was just about done setting the table when George and the others walked in the kitchen.

As she placed the last plate, George hugged her from behind and kissed the crook of her neck “Smells delicious my dear.”

She smiled as she watched her family and friends gather around the table to eat.

Jason sat to her right and Kris to her left. On the other side of Jason was her Mate, followed by Kylie, Owen, Clive, Jenny, and ending back with Kris. The room was filled with the sounds of a family dinner. Forks and knives scraping against the plate, sipping and chewing and more are clear to their sensitive hearing, and multiple conversions are held at the same time.

“So Jason, I was talking to your Mom about having you help around my office during break. If you’re interested, you can get a little spending money for yourself.”

Jason nodded so fast that his muzzle was a blur as it went up and down “Yeah, absolutely!”

His first job! All the things he can do now!

Jason makes his excitement known by his goofy smile and wagging tail. But his good mood was ruined by his Mother doing what all Moms do best, embarrass their kits. Pinching both of his cheeks, Meryl coo’d over his small amount of pride.

“Aww! My little baby is growing up! It seemed like it just was yesterday that you wanted the kit’s meal from McDonkeys.”

“Mmooommmm! Stop it!” He tried with all his might, all in vain to get away from the paws that brings stinging cheeks and a bruised ego. “And that was yesterday!”

* _sigh*_ “They grow up so fast.”

Jason’s cheeks started to burn, not because of the pinches, but because of the embarrassment in knowing that everyone present is watching in amusement as the Mother coddled the young kit. Once he was free, he scooted as far away in the chair as he could. His left ear flicked in annoyance and he resisted the urge to spit. If he did that while he was inside then cheek pinches will be the least of his problems.

_*knock* *knock* *knock*_

George shared a look with Meryl and he got up to answer the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw the mammal he was expecting. Opening the door, everyone was greeted by the sight of two Skunks doe’s who were both met with warmth and kindness.

The older doe has wide white stripes with a mostly white tail while the young kit has much thinner stripes and a mostly black tail with white highlights. They both wear matching glasses (Skunks generally have poor vision so most do have prescriptions) but where that’s where their shared sense of style ends. The older doe wears a white blouse with dark blue jeans with the kit wears a light blue hoodie and gray sweats.

“Mary! How are you? Thank you so much for agreeing to watch the kits tonight. And I see that you brought little Amanda, just look at you! Every time I see you, you look more and more like your mother. Just look how your stripes are coming in, it won’t be long until you have all the bucks chasing you.”

The young doe’s black fur hides her blush well enough but that doesn’t hide the other signs of her bashfulness. The shy smile and the constantly shifting stance betray just how happy she is with the praise.

“Foxy, you charmer you! It’s been too long!” Mary reaches out and pulls George into a hug. Amanda goes around the adults as they get into their own conversation.

She groups up with the other kits but more specifically, groups up with Jason.

“Hey Jay.” She gave him a small wave and smile.

“Hey Mandy.”

“Kits.. we’re going to be going out now, listen to Mary. We will be back tomorrow morning.”

“Bye Mom! Bye Dad!”

“Bye!”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about the little ones. We’re going to have so much fun, aren’t we kits?” They all nod enthusiastically.

George, Meryl, Kylie, Owen, Clive, and Jenny leave Kris and Nick to stay behind under the care of Mary. Jason watched from the window as the van left the driveway and off to wherever they were going.

“Ok kits before we do anything, you need to finish your homework.”

“Aww.”

Turns out that Jason was the only one who needed to finish as he didn’t even start.

As he was confined to the kitchen table, Amanda took it upon herself to help Jason with what he didn’t understand. He wasn’t by any means failing or struggling in any of his classes, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t parts that he needed help with, particularly with science. Mary was watching over then as she cleaned the mess they others had left behind as they didn’t have the time to do it before it was time to leave. Kris opted to help her as they waited for Jason to finish.

Amanda held the textbook in front her, quizzing Jason on the chapter’s contents as he mindlessly filled out the homework worksheet at the same time“What is the answer for the B question?”

He stopped writing to thumb though his notes “The punnett square is what is typically used to help with determining which traits from which parent is inherited by the offspring.”

“Close enough.”

The soft scratches of the pencil continued and she searched for something else to question him with.

Mary watched from her peripherals as her daughter aided the todd. The young doe’s crush on the todd wasn’t lost on both of their parents, it was actually something that Mary encouraged. Both of their families had been close ever since he had driven bullies away from her.

From the way Mandy told it, Jason had provoked the ringleader into attacking him. But unbeknownst to the little posse, a teacher who actually liked Nick had been watching ever since he intervened and before anything could happen, the Lion had broken things up and took the troublemakers to the office.

Ever some then, Mandy had stuck to him in and outside it school. Jason hadn’t minded as he didn’t have many friends because they believed that he would rob them, which was funny as he only stole from the ones who expected him to. Never would he steal from his friends.

“Finally!” He snapped his notebook shut and packed everything away. “Finished.”

“You ready for finals?”

“It’ll be a breeze.” The self assured smile and half lidded eyes showed confidence.

Mary addressed everyone “since you’re all finished, would you rather watch a movie, play board games, or go to the park?”

“Park!” “Park!” “Park!”

It was nearing the end of spring so they still had plenty of time until it got dark, but with all of them being nocturnal it would really matter if not for it being a school night.

The park was nothing special, just a plot of land with tall grass and soft dirt suitable for digging. Kris is spending his time gathering new acorns and the other two are chasing each other in the grass.

A Skunk’s nose may not be as good as a Canine’s but being a traditionally scavenger animal did make their nose more powerful than normal, so the lack of visual contact encouraged them to rely on scent tracking and audio cues to play.

Jason pops out of the grass only to dive back in using a instinctual pounce which allowed him just a brief glimpse from above before crashing into Amanda.

“AHH!”

“Got you!”

Mandy was more surprised than anything when he had gone airborne. He tucked and rolled, keeping himself in between her and the ground. She ended up laying against his chest once they’ve stopped moving and their tails were intertwined with each other.

Jason tried to get up, but she kept herself on him as dead weight.

“You’re trapped!”

“Not for long!”

Using his forefinger’s claws, he poked her rib which extracted a snort and giggle from her.

“Nooo! My only weakness!!”

“FOX!!”

His eyes snapped open and toward the origin of the shrill, raspy voice. The memories from the night before were chased away by the owner who was an aging Ibex with whitening snout which stretched into a scowl. Her name was Sarah Rockwell and she did not like Jason Fox one bit.

“Yes?” He said in a confused and ask to innocent voice.

He made it his goal to push the limits of her nonexistent patience but to do so in a way that he can’t get in trouble for it, just to make things hard for the hateful Goat.

“Surely you must know all about the TAME act of nineteen eighty, because I don’t know why else you think it would be okay to sleep during today’s lecture.”

“Yup, I studied all night long and that’s why I’m tired and falling asleep.” His reply was immediate, and judging by the narrowed eyes of the ornery nanny she didn’t believe him. The kit liked to turn mammal’s sarcastic comments against them, it has a nice effect of easily pissing them off.

“Then you wouldn’t mind explaining to the class what the TAME act was.”

“The TAME act was a bill passed by Congress forcing all predators to wear an electro shock collar when out in public that monitored heart rate to determine whether or not a little ‘attitude adjustment’ is in order.”

If that old Goat thought that any Predator would forget that period, then she might have dementia in her overripe age.

“... Stay awake.”

Looking out the window, he watched a bird fly from the sky into the trees, wishing for that kind of freedom.

But he never believed for a second that he will get that freedom.


	27. Not So Safe

“I thought that you were supposed to stay on the phone with the dispatcher once you call.”

“Yes but there are things that I wanted to talk about before Officers get here.”

Turning her attention away from Nick and toward Kylie, her eyes hardened “You said something about the others, who are the others?”

Kylie frowned and looked to Nick “Why is she here?”

“Don’t try to change the subject. I don’t even get why you would come to me in the in the first place. Did you really think that I would help you?”

“...No I didn’t, but we’re low on friends and I still needed to try.”

“And look at where that got you.”

_“If the world is only going to see a Fox as shifty and untrustworthy, then there’s no point in trying to be anything else.”_ The words he told Judy in the gondola resurfaced to the forefront of her mind. Did he still see trying as a bad thing? No he can’t, he was currently trying to better himself. For Serendipity’s sake, he was planning on attending the ZPA. Except.. he doesn’t believe that he would be accepted. He-

‘No, I can’t think like that. He is trying! It’s just new to him, he’ll get the hang of it.’

“I know you already got out of the cuffs, so I suggest you put your paws where we can see them. Slowly.”

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see the Opossum place his paws on the floor in front of him, the pawcuffs hanging off of only one of his wrists.

‘I guess this is where he learned how to get out of cuffs.’

“Now answer her question.”

“ _*sigh*_ Kris is with Owen, Clive, Mary,-” the sharp inhale from the todd grabbed Judy’s attention “-and Mandy.”

* _Grrk!*_

The sudden choking and coughing startled Judy but Kylie seemed to expect it.

“Who’s Mandy?” She wasn’t listed as an associate of Gorge and his crew but the strong reaction left no doubt that she was involved somehow.

“She’s Nick’s girlfriend.” That tidbit was enough for Judy to momentarily freeze up and panic.

“SHE IS **NOT**!!” The growl was savage but was ineffective, the constricted pupils were either unnoticed or ignored.

“You two had enough time to cool down and now it’s time for you two to make up. When she learned that I was coming here to see you she was so excited, you shoulda seen her.”

“So that gives her a pass?!”

Okay, that calmed Judy down somewhat. But hearing that his Ex wanted to rekindle their relationship didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t notice that she was grinding her teeth together.

“Why does the Bunny look like she’s going to murder me?”

“When you talk about hooking a female’s Mate up with someone else, that tends to happen.”

“Mate? _Oh Nick_.”

“Don’t you ‘ _oh Nick’_ me!”

“She’s going to be devastated.”

“ **She. Left. Me!** _I_ was _devastated_ , I was _depressed,_ **none** of you get to do this to me! I was not in the wrong and I’m still not! I have the right to be happy!”

Despite the spat they just had, Nick still said she made him happy. Outwardly, she didn’t change. Internally, she is gushing rainbows and sprinkles. The canids sensitive nose flared for the briefest of moments, catching the spike in the aroma of Judy’s attraction when he said what he did.

Turning toward her Mate, she asked “You know where the safe house is, right?”

He nodded his confirmation “I believe so.”

Judy once again addressed the detainee “Here’s what’s going to happen. Either one: you help the ZPD with our investigation into Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Depending on how helpful you are could influence the court to give you some leniency on your past crimes. Or two: you don’t help us, you go to prison, and we still go to the safe house to find out if the others are in a more cooperative mood. So what’s it going to be?”

Having the marsupial around longer than necessary leaves him more agitated than he is comfortable admitting but if it’s unavoidable then it’s best if they can get something out of it.

Despite it being the inappropriate situation that it is, Nick found himself extremely attracted to and drawn in by her assertiveness and moxie. The season exerting it’s influence over the todd was not appreciated at that moment but it wasn’t exactly unwelcome.

But now is not the time.

Kylie watched as Nick fixed his posture. He was sad to see how Nick looked the Bunny in front of him. He could tell that Nick adored her, and that dashed his hopes of bringing Nick and Mandy back together. When Mandy found out that Nick might be showing up, she had immediately began to clean herself up. Bathing, brushing, dressing up, and putting on make up, she had a little bounce in her step, and although it was obvious that she was nervous she had hope for their reunion. Now she was in for a big disappointment and worse yet, Nick is going to show up with his Mate.

“I don’t really have a choice now do I?”

The question was meant to be rhetorical but Nick answered it anyway “You do have a choice, you can either do what I say or you can refuse and then we can wipe our paws clean from everything that has to do you and your group. Between you and me, I honestly hope that you refuse.”

The following moments of silence were tense for Kylie. He saw that Nick genuinely loathed them. Nick just watched for any sleight of paw that Kyle might try to pull, and that little stunt of his earlier just served to remind Nick and Judy to be vigilant while watching over him. The sound of heavy pawsteps and the jingling of metal echoed through the hallway, alerting the occupants of the approaching mammals.

“I hope you think about it.”

Judy handed him off to the Officers with a warning to watch him closely. And once their paws were free, it was time to head to the safe house.

“So where is the safe house?”

“It’s in Happytown. It actually used to be our home before we were able to move someplace better.”

“Where’s Happytown?”

“It’s the neighborhood near Precinct Nine.”

Precinct Nine... in the academy it has the reputation of where cops go when they piss the wrong mammal off. And the ones who did the worst in class and barely managed to pass.

“I’ve never been but I heard stories.”

“I would say don’t go.”

“What can you tell me?”

“It’s run by three major crews, one for guns, one for drugs, and one for females. Their colors are red, black, and purple. The gun runners follow a Porcupine named Jackson, and they are the easiest to deal with, they don’t care what others do if you don’t look at them. The dealers seem friendly but they’ll be quick to stick a knife in you, their boss is a Mink named Carter. The pimps are led by a Hare named Pete and they’re by far the worst, if you were by yourself then they would try to snatch you.”

The further they go, the more rundown the area gets. It starts off with the road getting more worn and cracked, then the graffiti starts to take over wall space, more fences and even some barbed wire. Even the resident species start to change, whereas before there was a healthy mix of different species now shifts into a higher concentration of predators with a few exceptions. Most of whom were smaller sizes with a few medium here and there.

Foxes, Coyotes, Weasels, Raccoons, Bobcats, Hyenas, Bears, Skunks, other small predators, and Rabbits surprisingly enough.

“How are they getting away with all of that?”

The amount of homeless are starting to skyrocket, their tents line the sidewalks and crowds underneath the bridges. Some don’t even have that, some just sleep on the bench or on a dirty and torn mattress if they were lucky.

“Because the precinct is a joke, and they have ties to the gangs in other parts of the city and even some outside in different parts of the country.”

The residential area was no different. The houses had bars over the windows and the yards of dead or dying grass and dirt were surrounded by chainlink. The only park Judy saw had a swing set that had no swings and the grass hasn’t been cut in who knows how long.

This has been the easiest time that she’s ever had trying to read him, she could almost see the memories play. His eyes lingers at the park for awhile, they flick momentarily to some houses, they sadden when they see an empty building, he sneered at a certain house.

The car eventually stopped in front of a home no different than the others.

“This is the place.”

Judy uses her phone to call the station and asked Ben to send some backup to the address. Nick doesn’t wait before he gets moving. Before he gets out of the car, he reaches over toward the glove compartment and grabs a small case.

_“Nick!”_ She whisper/yells _“wait for backup!”_

He ignores her and keeps going. Judy follows close behind him, holding the phone close to her, remembering to put it on silent.

_“I can’t wait backup to get here Ben, I’m entering the premises.”_ She whispered into the phone.

She watched as he deftly opened the case and got to work unlocking the front door with what revealed to be a lock pick set, it was opened in seconds. She watched as he didn’t immediately open the door, instead opening it less than in inch and he ran his fingers along the top before stopping near the corner and fiddling with something. When he was done he opened the door slowly before opening it and looked around.

Once he was satisfied, he walked in normally.

She walked through the door looking up so that she could see what he did. The only thing there was a screw eye. Immediately her head snapped to the opposite corner and her eyes widened when she saw a shotgun pointed at her, below it there is a pulley system that connected to the trigger.

_“The front door is trapped, unclear if there are more.”_ She kept her eyes open for anything that might be noteworthy for anyone that is sent over to help.

“Nick!” The voice of an unknown female squealed from the direction that she’d seen Nick go.

An ugly possessive urge flooded her head. She foregone any training that was drilled into her and she headed straight toward the origin.

Judy found herself standing in the living room looking at a Skunk who was trying to hug Nick, Owen Skip was climbing out of a trap door and she heard others still in the unknown below.

“Get off!” Nick tried to push the doe away.

After Owen, another older Skunk doe climbs out followed by a Warthog boar, Lion, Hyena bitch, and another Hyena but he was very different than most. What was different about him was that he had a Lion’s mane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m writing multiple chapters at the same time since the next few will no longer in chronological order for the time being. That’s why it’s taking a bit longer than normal to post but the good news is that the next chapter is going to be posted really soon to make up for that.


	28. What Once Was Pt 2

Twenty Two Years ago

“The sign says: We reserve the right to refuse Service TO **ANYONE!!** ”

Jason and Mandy flinched as the Rhino bellowed. The ten year old kits couldn’t help it, Jason didn’t have the mask of confidence or the experience that he would get later in life, and Mandy because she would never get that experience.

The Rhino and the other patrons flinched much more violently as they realized that he just scared a Skunk kit. They realized it when she jumped and turned her body around slightly and her long black tail snapped to an upright position.

The young todd’s arms wrapped themselves around the doe, who was shaking like a leaf and fighting back tears, and he started to stroke the back of her head in a comforting fashion “Shh It’s okay, it’s okay Grace.” Jason shot an angry look at the cashier over her shoulder. 

“Y-you sa-said that _*hic*_ w-we would get ice cr-cr-cream _*sniff*_ but you l-lied to me-e Sal. And now t-the meanie is yelling at me!” The dam of salty tears broke out into a wail and sobs as she addressed Nick.

The Rhino bull’s eyes softened just the slightest bit as he watched the kit’s shoulders heave and shake but he was still weary of them.

_*sigh*_

He reaches into the cooler which held what they wanted

“Take it and go.”

The two of them looked at him with suspicion, not trusting that they heard what they heard.

“You want it or not?”

They turned to each other before Jason stepped forward to grab the over sized popsicle.

“Thank you sir.” Jason tried to hand the cashier the money for the frozen treat but he shook his head.

“Just take it and go.” He repeated “And don’t come back.” They both scuttled out of their as fast as they could.

Once they were out of sight and out of hearing range, both of them snapped out of their roles and grinned.

“Looks like we have to cross this one from the list.”

...

Twenty One Years ago

“Ready... set... GO!”

Red and black paws begin fiddling with the pair of cuffs which were binding them together. Another, larger, pair held a stopwatch.

The pressure of being timed led to the little fingers fumbling more often than he normally did.

“Time!”

“Fifteen seventy three. You could do better than that, just remember: smooth is quick and quick is smooth. The more you practice the faster you get and the less mistakes you make. Now try again.”

Nick returned the strip of metal back to the inside of his sleeve. The sleeve, which hid a wrist brace that had pockets for small things like the strip used to slip in between the teeth of the pawcuffs which allowed it to open, lock picking tools, a razor wrapped in tape to allow it to be stored safely but the folded end let the owner to undo it easily, matches a sealed bag, or anything else that could fit.

Jason slipped the cuffs back on and got ready to start again.

“Now if you don’t have your tools then you can break the cuffs with the seat belt buckle or anything that is strong enough and small enough to fit in between the metal plates but that will hurt you quite a bit, expect to get cut.”

...

Twenty Years and Nine Months ago

George is holding a see though pad lock and a snake hook lock pick. He uses the pick to point at the different parts as he mentions them.

“This is a pin and tumbler lock, the most common type of lock, and although this is a pad lock, it is the same inside as door locks as long as the key is the same. This is the pin, and the pin is divided into two: the key pin, the part that you’re touching, and the driver pin, what’s attached to the spring. Now typically there is between four and six pins, and how a lock works is there pin set are the same total length but the key pins are not. That’s why a key’s teeth are different height. The tumbler is what turns when you unlock the lock, and the space between the lock and the tumbler is called the shear line. And when the key is inserted the key pins line up with the shear line and the tumbler can turn. It’s important to know that the entire time you move the pins, you need to apply light but constant pressure with the torque wrench.” The lock opens.

Jason messes around with his own see though lock for a while, eventually being able to open it.

“Only practice locks are clear but eventually you’ll be able to do this by feel alone. What I want you to do before you try anything else is to be able to do this with your eyes closed. Then we try with a new lock, and a new one, and a new one.”

...

Twenty Years and Six Months Ago

George surprised Jason by suddenly grabbing his wrist.

“Don’t yank on whatever you have, if you can’t pull it out without getting noticed or if there’s too much resistance then it’s not worth it.”

Jason continued to try and pick pocket his Dad.

...

Twenty Years Ago

Jason and Mandy stood in the line, waiting for their turn to get food. And since both of them are in the same size category, they don’t need to split up into different lines. They had grabbed their food and started to look for a place to sit.

“Hey! Jay, Mandy, Over here!” a Squirrel doe who was munching on various nuts and dried fruit had been the one to call them over, and with her are two Fox todds and male Sloth (AN: I couldn’t find if Sloths have gender titles). Both Sandy and Kris were waving trying to grab their attention, Finnick was busy scarfing down his food, and Flash was still slowly turning toward them.

“Hey guys.”

Kris was the oldest of the group in tenth grade, Sandy in ninth, Finn and Flash were in the eighth, and Mandy and Jason in seventh. However, being a K twelve school, they all had the fortune of being together until graduation.

When Jason was within range, Sandy jumped from the table to his shoulder and gave him a noogie. His response was to turn his head and slap her with his ear.

“Woah! Hey, I almost fell.”

“You can jump like ten feet, how is a two foot drop concerning?”

“Because I have time to brace myself before I jump.”

“Hey.... Jay.... Mandy.... over.... here...”

“Looks like Flash just got here, how’s it hanging bud?” Out of the whole group, Nick was the one who seemed like he was the most in tune with Flash. Maybe because he possibly was a Sloth himself in a past life, maybe.

The algae covered Mammal didn’t mind the comment on his speed. Their little group has grown so close together that they were tolerant of and comfortable with each other doing or saying things that they wouldn’t let anyone else get away with, like calling a Sloth slow or a Fox shifty.

‘ “I’m.... doing.... as.... well.... as.... I.... can..... What.... about.... you.... two?...” the group all waited patiently for the young cub to finish.

“I’m doing great, you have Track meet today right?”

“Not.... today,... coach.... had.... an..... emergency.... at.... home....”

“Nothing bad I hope.” Mandy expressed her concern for the kindly lion who had often helped them.

“I.... don’t.... know.... how.... serious.... it.... is....”

“Maybe his Mate went into labor? It is close to her due date.” The black and white doe theorized.

“I’m surprised that he managed to knock her up.” Barely at this age and Finnick already had the deepest voice out of all of them, and deeper than even some of the teachers.

All of them were surprised in fact, what with his Mate being a Spotted Hyena. Samuel explained that even the vets weren’t all that certain how it happened. Some thought that because the Hyenidae family and the Felidae family are actually both part of the Feliformia suborder that it had allowed the slimmest chance of procreation. Others thought that taxonomy didn’t play as big a role, instead it was that all mammals had similar enough evolutionary traits and fewer even speculate that eventually evolution will bring all mammals to a homogenous state. It could be any of those, any other reason that is not known yet or even a combination of reasons. The one thing that Samuel was sure of though was that the how didn’t matter to him, just the fact that it happened was good enough.

“Or did she knock herself up? ‘Cuz you know how them females gots themselves a-”

“You don’t have to be so vulgar Finnick.”

“Just because you’re the oldest doesn’t mean that you should talk like you’re an old maid.” The smallest in the group retorted against the tallest.

Finn and Kris bicker for what seemed like millionth time today. Everyone wondered why the two were friends at some point or another, but when asked about it all was said is that it’s just their way.

“Makes you wonder: if a Lion and Hyena could have a litter, then who else could?” Mandy seemed to be starting off into the distance.

In her head, little kits were running around. Some were black and white and others were red. Despite being much too young to have her own young, it didn’t stop her from daydreaming about one day having her own litter.

“-dy?”

“-ndy?”

“Mandy!”

“Huh?!”

“You spaced out for a while there... maybe you’re thinking about someone in particular?” Sandy loves to tease Mandy about her crush on the todd, she always had.

Everyone in there little group knew about her crush, even mammals who weren’t in their group knew about it, but not Jason. No he was too busy with the “lessons” that his dad gave him, he was almost religious when it came to practicing. Any time not dedicated to homework or something else, he was practicing one of the many skills being taught to him.

“W-what? No! I don’t know what you’re talking about.” And there goes the tail floof.

A Skunk’s tail did not go side to side like other mammals, so they expressed their emotions by puffing out their fur in various degrees.

“Mandy has a crush on someone?” She went stone still when Jason asked that question.

Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw green staring at her inquisitively but the owner soon grew a mischievous grin.

She can hear the teasing already.

“Who is it? Is it the buck from second period, what’s his name, Caleb?” Jason looked pointedly at the Spotted Skunk who was sitting with his own group of friends.

“Ugh! No! He’s a creep that won’t leave me alone.” She recoiled in horror. It’s safe to say that it’ll never be an option.

“What about the buck that is in theatre with you?” Sandy added, clearly enjoying the discomfort being shown by the doe.

“He’s into bucks.”

“What about Chris?” Finnick joined too.

“There’s only so many Skunks in the school, sooner or later we’re going to guess right.”

“Brian?”

“Richard?”

“Sidd?”

“Trevor?”

Mandy had no visible or noteworthy reaction to any the names.

“Are there any others that we missed?”

“No, thats all of them.”

Jason rubbed his chin in thought “What if?”

Everyone’s ears perked up, everyone including Mandy.

“Are you into doe’s?”

For a second they had hope for him, but he crashed and burned.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I never pegged you as the type but now that I think about it it explains why you accepted anyone’s advances.”

At this moment, Amanda Lewis has two options, one: go along with it, or two: admit to Jason that she liked him more than as a friend.

Both of these options are less than ideal. If she goes along with it then a couple of things could happen, such as him doing something that leads to both hers and some other doe’s embarrassment. Or if she admits she’s inter without knowing his stance in such a subject, things could turn ugly real fast. She didn’t think that Jason was the type of todd who would take an interest in what others did when it didn’t involve him to the sixth degree.

As much as she wants to deny it, it may finally be the time to reveal her feelings to him. Maybe her fears would be unfounded and maybe even be reciprocated.

“Actually, Jay? I don’t-”

The loud shrill of the bell interrupts the student body and reminds them of their next class.

“-think we have time to discuss this. Gottagettoclassbye!” And in the end, it didn’t even matter what she wanted to say because once she was given an out, she grabbed onto it with both paws.

She hurried off to her next class, which was in the opposite direction of his. Once she was certain she had lost him, she relaxed into a more calm walking pace. Soon her head was weighed down by her cowardice at the moment of opportunity presented to her.

“What was that?”

“AHHH!”

Everyone who was nearby the startled skunk jumped away while covering noses in preparation of a bad time.

The absence of any foul odor slowly encouraged the students to remove their paws/hooves and continue on their way, but not before throwing a dirty look at the little mammal.

“Don’t scare me like that!”

“I literally climbed up your leg, how could I scare you after that?” Mandy had always complained that she was too heavy to climb her clothes, stretched them out when she did.

“I was... thinking.”

“About how you’re finally gunna tell Jay that you like him?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah actually, it is.”

“Easier said than done.”

“It’s only as hard as you make it.”

The classroom door is now in sight but Sandy still had further to go as she did not share the same class. Mandy felt the Squirrel’s weight vanish as the she jumped off and started to head off on her own.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before entering the class.

There will be time to worry about this later.


	29. The Replaced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not dead! And neither is this Fanfic!

** The Replaced **

Ok so a Lion’s mane is too strong of a word to describe what she is seeing. The Hyena has long hair around his neck in the same way a Lion would, but it’s much shorter than a Lion’s. Where the Lion’s mane would reach past his shoulders, the Hyena’s reached less than half of that. The hair also didn’t change like a Lion’s, it stayed the same color and pattern as the rest of his body. The mane isn’t the only thing unique about him. His paws has feline claws, incisors are larger than normal and his coat is a lighter variation of the dark brown that is standard. But everything else is Hyenidae.

Wolodarsky did not tell them about any other guests, and whether that was because he didn’t mention them on purpose or if they arrived after he left was not important to the overall goal of helping Kris as well as apprehending Owen and anyone else who helped him.

Once she got over the shock of seeing a Hybrid, Judy’s attention shifted toward the other occupants of the room. The bitch who she assumed is his mother, obviously took pride in looks. Her fur was meticulously groomed and her clothes lacked any loose fur sticking to the fabric. She was dressed in a button up and pencil skirt which had been ironed and pressed, and high heels. Standing by her side is a Lion who’s own mane has darkened with age. He has a broad chest and strong physique which spoke of his hard work and dedication. Owen had his attention was on Nick and the middle aged Skunk doe, who gazed despairingly upon her todd. The boar stood by his lonesome and wore a biker getup and a bright red neckerchief.

“Get Away From Me!”

Judy turns to see Nick stiff-arming who she assumed to be Mandy, addressing her with a snarl and glare. When her attempt at embracing him is blocked, she instead grabbed the paw that had denied her and turned it so that she can nuzzle her cheek into the palm. She held on as he tried to pull away.

“Don’t be like that, I said I was sorry.”

“Sorry?! You think that sorry is enough?! Did you think that I’d wait for you?! That you can come back anytime you want and pretend that nothing happened?!”

“I’m not going to pretend that what I did was okay, but I do think that we can work things out and restart with a clean slate. I can earn your forgiveness and hopefully get back to where we were.”

Every time Nick takes a step back, she takes a step forward.

The dark feeling which was momentarily forgotten resurged with a violent intensity. Everything but Nick and the Interloper blurred into white noise. The feral side of her is like a little sprite standing on her shoulder, whispering things into her ear, urging her to protect what was hers.

The Interloper wants to tempt him.

The Interloper is trying to steal your Mate away from you.

The Interloper is going to tear apart your Home.

Get rid of the Interloper.

“Get Away From My Fox!”

The authority in her voice surprised the mephitid enough for Nick to slip away from her and put a little bit of space in between them. Once he was within reach Judy snatched his paw and brought it up to her nose, taking a deep whiff of his fur. Her fur bristled and a scowl marred her face when she picked up the Skunks scent clinging to his. The female’s smell on him is wrong. Disgusting.

It was a direct challenge.

A burning hatred formed for the one who tried to take her Mate, the stench forever ingrained in her memory.

It was during this exchange that everyone took in the appearance of this strange Bunny. She may be still wearing plain clothes but she still had her polyethylene vest on as well as her service belt. The polished and shining badge proudly stood out, declaring to all of her chosen profession. The small piece of metal triggered recognition among the group and along with the pulsing wave of her fur raising aura caused their guards to go up. However one of them was too aggravated to notice such details.

“Your Fox?” Judy met the Interloper’s challenging gaze with equal if not greater intensity.

“Yes, MY Fox. And he clearly doesn’t want to be touched by you, so please.. give him his space.”

Her head held high, ears standing tall and alert, teeth grinding against each other, paws resting on her hips, and narrowed eyes stared back unflinchingly. Her demeanor left no room for compromise, and dared her enemy to try to defy her.

Everyone could practically see the sparks flying, and they waited with bated breath.

The tense silence was cut by someone climbing up the ladder. An older Badger made his way out of the hole in the floor and once he saw Nick, he lit up like a Christmouse tree.

“You’re here! Ha Haa! I was sure that you wouldn’t, but here you are.” The relief in his voice was as clear as day.

He closed the distance with arms wide open and went in for a hug. Both Mandy and Judy thought that Nick would reject it like he did with the Skunk but instead he made no move to intercept, letting himself be grabbed.

Clive let go of the todd after crushing his lungs (maybe it’s a Badger thing after all) and urged him forward “C’mon we don’t have much time to lose.”

“Nobody’s going anywhere.” There’s no way that Judy’s going to let anyone out of her sight right now, much less roam around freely. Not when anyone here could be a danger to the Officers who are on their way. She just needs to hold out long enough for backup to arrive.

Nick, who knew what was about to happen, pulled away from Clive to stand next to Judy. He put himself in a position to get in the way of anyone stupid enough to attack her.

“Everyone in this room is under arrest. Owen Skip for grand larceny, and everyone else for aiding and abetting a known criminal and harboring a fugitive. I don’t know if that thing with the shotgun over there counts as reckless endangerment or premeditated mammal slaughter, not to mention any other _presents_ that is left in the house.”

With the flash of metal from a pair of cuffs, Owen decided that now was the best time to make his getaway. But his mistake was one that almost everyone makes: thinking that he could outrun a Rabbit. Just two steps before he was tackled to the ground with his paws pinned behind his back.

“Everyone, on the ground! NOW!”

With Owen already apprehended, not much could be done to guarantee both their and his freedom/safety. But their obvious advantages such their superior numbers, size, and weight is enough to embolden the group.

“It’s eight against two.”

“Owen’s on the floor and I don’t think that Mandy, Mary, or Clive will fight me.”

“I don’t need to fight you, just her.” That fanned the flames, feeding it and making it burn that much hotter.

“You think that I’ll let you get even close to my _Mate_?” The emphasis on the word ‘Mate’ stunned Mandy and Mary. The significance of the word is something they knew of, and had been something that Mandy had tried to attain.

Hearing him declare his claim on her to the Interloper assured her of his loyalty, but he wasn’t the one that worried her.

“You were going to make me your Mate!”

“Were. Past tense. Obviously that’s not going to happen now.”

It wasn’t the first time he got something he wanted by manipulating someone’s emotions. After all: he who fights fair, dies first. And if this back and forth with Amanda eats up enough time he will absolutely do it.

Off in the distance, so faint that Judy had to strain to even hear the shrill wail of sirens approaching. Some shifting motion in the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was the Warthog, and he is slowly moving his hoof behind him. It didn’t take a genius to make a decent guess at what he is reaching for. A bright red neckerchief in this area probably means only one thing, the suid in the room is (or works for) a gun dealer, and more than likely armed himself. So the first move to make is to incapacitate the biggest threat by the way of the Wild West: a quick draw. Just not the part where the other mammal is dropped.

“Move your hooves away from your back!”

The vindictive part of Nick got some satisfaction from seeing the boar at gunpoint. They ran for so long from both sides of the law and now there is no more running, they had been caught in between the iron sights of a cop. And he helped them get caught.

Stan is in a jail cell now, and Kylie is on his way if he wasn’t there already, and Owen is cuffed and ready to go. Kris and Agnes didn’t deserve whatever they went through but that part is almost over. Samuel and his family didn’t wrong him so there was some sadness for them but they chose their side. He moved on from Mandy a long time ago, and Mary was just bundled in with her daughter.

Maybe sometime soon he can put everything behind him and never look back.

The boar moves slowly to comply, and she addresses the others. “Maybe you’ll get away if you run but you’ll have to leave three of your mammals behind and whatever is not on you. And since you’ve been here for awhile we can still get trackers to hunt you down, then we can add resisting and evading arrest to your charges.”

They didn’t run, instead they began to get down on their stomach with the pig.

“Paws behind your head.”

That pissed Nick off more than he can imagine. Disregarding the fact that they really didn’t have a choice, he expected _some_ kind of resistance from them. When none came, he wanted to scream. He wanted to pull his fur out and throw things and rage out. The only thing stopping him from doing so is his instinct. Now it’s not the time to throw a temper tantrum like an unruly kit, not while his mate is in a potentially dangerous situation like this one. So in lieu of a hissy fit, he turned to his words to be his dagger.

“So I’m the only one you’ll leave behind?”

Mandy wanted to say something, _anything_ , but what could she say? A whine leaves her lips.

It wasn’t quite as satisfying removing the Interloper directly, but hearing that cry soothed her possessive instincts knowing that she won. He had made his choice and he chose her. It only made sense because once the Interloper submitted to her, she had retained the rights to be her Mate.

“What is down there?” Nick would’ve tried to look over the edge but he chose not to, not while there is someone nearby who might want to push him over.

“Just Kris and some medical supplies.”

Regardless of the answer, they would have to wait. There was no way that either of them would leave the other to watch over them alone to check what was actually down there.

“Nick? Could you pat down the suid?”

The todd approached the prone swine cautiously. He wasn’t exactly eager to get close to the bigger mammal but not searching him will be a bad decision so he went ahead did what he was asked.

At least, he tried to but no one said that it was a good idea for someone whose forty pounds is against someone who’s between two and three hundred pounds

Honestly he should have expected something like this but it was still too fast for him to react. One moment he’s reaching for his waistband the next he’s being held in the air by his neck and being used as a shield.

“Nick!” “Nicky!”

Nick thrashed and failed in the suid’s grip.

“Stop squirming!”

He didn’t. He scratched and tried to reach down and chomp down on something but had no luck.

Being restrained like this is making Nick essentially rabid. The longer it goes on, the louder he gets with his snarls, growls, and countless other sounds of aggression and the more he struggles. When he realized that he could reach his attacker’s face with his hindpaws he started to incorporate kicks into his struggles.

Judy couldn’t get a clear shot, not with Nick flailing around like he is.

“PUT HIM DOWN!!”

“Put Your Tranq Down!”

One lucky swing manages to connect with his snout. Filled with frustration, the Warthog pitches Nick at Judy like a baseball, knocking her down and giving him an opportunity to escape.

While the Judy was trying to untangle from Nick, the boar bolted full speed toward freedom and for a heavy mammal he sure could move. When Judy was able to get up and follow him, he had already gone out the back door and disappeared into the neighborhood of tightly packed houses. She didn’t bother trying to chase him down, she trusted the abilities of the trackers at the ZPD. Being a suid which have a great sense of smell, he should know just how effective a good nose is.

What was more important now is the sounds of growls and fear.

On her return, she was surprised to see that Nick and somehow managed to corner everyone and had prevented anyone to leave.

What was remarkable to Judy was that he did this in his feral state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read a comment from.... somewhere.... that Zootopia’s release date is basically a furry holiday now and that made me laugh.


	30. Just The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few small but important changes to chapters 10, 26, and 28. I wrote that Nick had changed his middle and last name but kept the first. That has now changed because looking back, it’d make more sense to change it completely. So his original name is now Jason Francisco Fox.

Nick’s voice reverberates into growls. Part of oldest language known to mammalkind. It’s single note could be used many times and each have different meanings. This one’s is a war cry.

He didn’t know why, but he had one mission: stop them from leaving. And he was going to complete that mission even if he had to claw, bite, and kick these larger predators into submission. Every time one of them moved, he blocked their path. He ran a semicircle around them. Snapping his jaws by their hindpaws, his teeth clacking against each other as his mouth closed where they used to be. He corrals them to the corner, forcing them to bundle up closer in order for them to keep some distance away from him.

He didn’t know why he loathed them as much he did. His hatred took the form of an imp, who begs for one of them to step out of line. So that way they could be made an example of.

His Mate reentered the den and he let himself relax just a bit knowing that she’s with him again. However they aren’t in the clear yet. Making sure to keep himself in between her and them, he waits for her instructions. His Mate gravitates closer to him and he relaxes even further. She called out to him and he spares a glance at her to make sure she wasn’t injured or in distress. When she got close enough to run her paw through his scruff, he backed up to where one of his hind legs came into contact with her. Now he didn’t have to focus on her since he will always know where she is.

The shrill wail that was off in the distance had gotten much closer, it’s high pitch irritates his triangular ears.

Looking at the group in front of him, he sees a hatred in the Skunk doe’s eyes. That hatred is being directed toward his Mate. His protective instincts scream for him to get rid of the threat to his Mate. His growls grow more intense and ferocious as he bares his teeth at the threat, his tail whips around behind him showing just how agitated the doe made him by looking at his precious Bunny like that.

An equine’s whinny pulled his attention away from the mephitid. Turning his nose upwards, he is able to learn that the equine isn’t the only newcomer. Glancing back toward his Mate, he notes how unconcerned she is with the new arrivals. Taking her lead, he ignored them and kept himself planted in between the original group and the exit.

Only when the new group began to surround and capture the threat did he let himself unwind. He sat down on his haunches, his ears unfolded and perked up, and his growling stopped. His Mate took ahold of his muzzle and turned him to face her. Her fingers wedged themselves in his mouth, shoving something down his throat. His mind started to open up before being forcefully clouded.

Judy watched as the intelligence return to his eyes before they were muddled by the drug. The Officers who arrived to assist her were a mix between Precinct One and Nine officers. She watched as they got to work locating and disabling the traps that were hiding. She was just glad that no one had been hurt by them.

“There’s an injured mammal down the hatch, but I don’t know what’s down there.”

“Alright, we’ll go down but keep an eye on the savage.”

Judy pursed her lips, trying to suppress her anger. Now is not the time or place to argue. Brushing her fingers through his fur to soothe her fury. But she did as she was told. She watched as the Officers combed over the residence with a fine toothed comb. Looking from afar as they discover traps at other points of entry. Small spike pits underneath windows, additional shotguns mounted to the doors, and razors hidden behind door handles were just some of the surprises left behind. They were not very well hidden, if at all, and obviously made by amateurs. A perimeter is soon erected around the house and Forensics are now on scene. The process of stripping any useful/relevant information was efficient under the supervision of Precinct One, despite being within Precinct Nine’s jurisdictional boundary.

She still had his fur in her paws, threading her fingers through his soft undercoat, the action bringing her comfort. Feeling the warmth that radiated from his body, the power hidden within him as he leans into her touch, the close proximity highlighting the scent of his seasonal musk.

Judy realized just how unwise it was bringing Nick along with her was without backup. She had been waiting for reinforcements, but Nick went ahead without listening. Something could’ve easily gone wrong. The Warthog held Nick’s life in his hooves, and has been most likely armed. She could say for certain as she didn’t see it but it was a safe bet to make.

“Hopps!”

Her ears popped up and snapped in the direction of the voice. It belonged to Joseph, who waved her over once he saw that he got her attention. Grabbing Nick’s tie, she walked the both of them towards the Timber Wolf.

“The Chief wants you to go home.” He didn’t look at her directly even one time. She saw his nose twitch and he seemed to become even more uncomfortable.

“What?! Why?!”

“You’re off the clock. What you should have done was let us know what was happening before, we don’t do things alone. Now go home, we’ll take care of things here.”

“Alright, have a good night.”

His eyes occasionally land on Nick, whose behavior concerned him.

“Is he alright?”

“He’s okay, it’s just his meds.”

“Then you should probably go sooner rather than later, this isn’t the sort of neighborhood that you want to be high as a kite in.”

Leading Nick to his car, she sat him down and buckled him in, making sure that his tail wasn’t going to get caught on the door. After he had been settled in, she got into the driver’s seat and begun the long quiet ride to Deerbrooke.

...

Amanda Lewis sat down on the ground in the front lawn, paws cuffed behind her back. She watched as that Rabbit pulled Nick around by the tie, leading him around like he was some sort of pet. It infuriated her to see him get treated like that. She saw her shove a pill down his throat and how despondent he became after the ferocious display. Surely she was giving him something that would make him act like he did, otherwise he would’ve helped them. He would’ve helped Kris and she would’ve gotten her boyfriend back. He wouldn’t have threatened them while he was feral, he wouldn’t have sided against her. She vowed that she would free him from the manipulations of that hunnybunny.

_“Pst.”_

Samuel gave no indication that he spoke but she heard him well enough to recognize who it came from. His paws were already free and he’s holding a cuff strip behind his back for her to take.

_“You and Mary should go, you’re small enough to get away unnoticed for awhile, hopefully they won’t at all. But if they find out before you had enough time then me and Isaac will distract them for as long as we can.”_

_“Thank you. We won’t forget this.”_

The dark black of their coats is a blessing, easily blending into the shadows as they make their get away.

...

Judy sat upright on their bed, holding Nick’s head in her lap and gently scratching his scalp. Watching the constant rise and fall of his chest. She was upset at Joseph for assuming that she went in recklessly, and she was also upset at Nick for ignoring her and heading on into the building. But most of all she was upset at herself.

She was upset that she lost her cool while she confronted the Interloper and her group. She was upset that she had let the Warthog get away (temporarily). She was upset that she put her Mate in danger. Not only did she not respect his wishes concerning his involvement in this case, but soon after she convinced him to go he is forced to go savage again. She dragged him back into a world that he so desperately tried to claw his way out of.

But most of all, she was upset because she knew that she would do it all over again. The things that chased him throughout his entire life had certainly done it’s fair share of damage to him, however now is the time for him to end it with his own paws. It was also an opportunity to get a preview on the life that they will share once he graduates the Academy.

“At least we won’t have to worry about me getting hooked on the pills because the comedown is killer.”

Her Mate’s voice broke her out of her reverie.

“You were out of it much shorter this time around, hopefully the side effects lessen the more you use them.”

“Would make things allot easier if it did.”

Judy stared at Nick’s emerald colored eyes, and she can see the fatigue which had built up within behind them. She closes her’s and leans forward to give a gentle kiss, the lip contact sending small sparks between them. She presses her paw to his cheek, reveling when he presses back.

“How’re you doing?”

“I feel like my head is under mud.”

“I’m not talking about that, I’m asking how are you doing after seeing your ex again. And after getting tossed around by that swine.”

“Eh I could’ve done without it, but it wasn’t the worst night I had.”

“But it’s up there?”

“Naw, I had some pretty wild nights out in my twenties.”

“Oh? Tell me about it.”

“Hmm... there was this one time that I tried to pull a Pawpsicle hustle but Finn had blew our cover because the vixen he was seeing at the time was across the street.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm, he tried to get me to understand that he wanted to leave but I kept trying to finish the entire thing. He eventually got so upset that he actually spoke. He quickly realized what he done but it was too late to do anything, not only did Cow get mad that we tried to scam her but the vixen also noticed us. To this day, that has been a sore subject.”

“What happened?”

“They’re still together, but she really likes to bring it up and tease him.”

Hearing Judy’s soft giggles relieved him. Her mood is definitely improving, and if he had his way then it will never go back down.

“So what did the cow do?”

“She gave us the ice cream we wanted alright, dumped a whole sundae bowl on top of us. It took forever to clean it out of my fur and the tail got the worst of it.”

“Oh no, not the tail.” Her sarcastic tone had more than a bit of mirth underlying it. But it soon gave way to full blown laughter when he idly ran his paw over the appendage in question.

“Be grateful that my fur grew back, as it is you love my tail.”

“Wait... grew back?”

“Uh huh, the sugar glued my fur together. The fur on most of my body was short enough to get it cleaned, the the fur in my tail as you know is much longer.”

“Don’t tell me.” The expression in her face is as if she just told her the holy grail of secrets.

“Yeah... I had to shave my tail.”

Full blown guffaws hit Judy so hard that she couldn’t even sit up. She held her stomach and rolled side to side. Her laughs had a mixture of snorts and her hindpaws started to thump rapidly.

He would do anything as long as she was happy, even share embarrassing stories or follow her to the depths of the criminal underbelly of Zootopia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also updated/rewrote chapter 20 so check that out, I think you guys will like it. (;


	31. Notice

I love this story. Writing it has helped me flex my creative muscles and strengthen my storytelling skills, I’ve improved my vocabulary and I’ve learned new things just for this fic.

But there is an issue that I’ve been trying to deal with and the fault lies with solely with me. Every chapter is a rough draft. Type then post, type then post. No arcs, no planning, no clean up, dialogue is generally messy and only there to take up space, and loose ends everywhere.

So I’m going to rewrite the whole thing in a second story, I’m not going to delete this one or overwrite it. But I definitely want things like an outline and arcs from beginning to end before I start. 

I want to have a clear direction to go and I hope you don’t get too upset.


End file.
